IN THIS EPISODE:

Former co-executive director of the Highlander Center Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson shares why this moment is ripe for transformative social change towards justice and progress. 

Ash-Lee discusses the role and impact of Highlander, including its legacy of identifying and supporting movement leaders from the Civil Rights era to the Black Lives Matter movement. She also shares why she remains excited at this moment, despite increased attacks on American democracy.

REFERENCES:

Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson - @_AshDashLee_

In This Episode:

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 how Medicaid expansion became an electoral tool for pushing progressive policy in the Virginia legislature and the critical races happening in the state in 2025, including the race for governor and House races where the multiracial coalition can make a true difference.

References:

Tram Nguyen - @tramNVM

New Virginia Majority - Website / @NewVAMajority

In This Episode:

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 inevitable gaps that will emerge during Trump’s presidency as he toes the line between the billionaire coalition and some disillusioned working-class voters. 

He explains what Democrats need to do as they recalibrate and why the “woke-ism” debates are a distraction from the real issues facing the multiracial working class. 

REFERENCES:

Maurice Mitchell - @mauricewfp.bsky.social

Working Families Party - workingfamilies.org

"Left Organizing Is in Crisis. Philanthropy Is a Major Reason Why" by Nina Luo, The Nation

In This Episode

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 Texas’ Greg Casar to Arizona’s Ruben Gallego to California’s Lateefah Simon.

In this Episode:

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

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 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

In This Episode:

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 podcast

• Get involved with: Working Families Party

• Learn about: Michael Tubbs

• Support: 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

In This Episode:

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

In This Episode:

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 this episode, we feature a conversation from Steve’s other podcast, “Exit Polls”, where he recently spoke with two young voters in New York City—his niece, Leah, and her friend, Julia. They share their thoughts on Kamala Harris’ candidacy and offer some insight into how Gen Z’ers are processing this election cycle.

In this Episode:

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.

In this Episode:

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. 

In this Episode:

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. 
—

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 // Lateefah for BART
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

<<Back to Podcast

In This Episode:

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.

In this Episode:

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

IN THIS EPISODE:

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 THIS EPISODE:

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 

IN THIS EPISODE:

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

In This Episode:

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