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.

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.

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.

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. 

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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" - Passing the Baton