Episodes

  • Race and Democracy: ‘You already have what it takes to run for office’

    Race and Democracy: ‘You already have what it takes to run for office’
    Oct 30 2024
    Production was well underway on this season of Race Unwrapped when America experienced what our guest just calls “The Switch.” President Joe Biden dropped out of the race, and suddenly we were witnessing a history-making presidential run by Vice President Kamala Harris. So we reached out to Emerge, a national organization dedicated to recruiting, training, and empowering Democratic women to run for office. And as it turns out, Harris herself is a main character in Emerge’s origin story. A’shanti Gholar, president of Emerge, joins us for this special bonus episode, to unwrap the challenges and rewards of being a Black woman running for office.
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    25 mins
  • Race and Democracy: ‘Unless we have hope, then we can't have these conversations’

    Race and Democracy: ‘Unless we have hope, then we can't have these conversations’
    Oct 23 2024
    Back in the day, Jesse Jackson told us to keep hope alive. And when Barack Obama first ran for president, his image became almost synonymous with hope (maybe you still have one of the posters). We’ve spent this season learning about all the obstacles standing between Black people and the ballot box. But hope IS alive. A 2022 poll by the African American Research Collaborative found Black Americans are actually some of the most hopeful about democracy, while white Americans are the least. Dr. Andrene Wright from the University of Wisconsin-Madison helps us unpack the data and what’s behind it. And Dr. Andra Gillespie from Emory University joins us to talk about a group that gets a lot of attention around Election Day, but little respect the rest of the time: Black women voters.
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    35 mins
  • Race and Democracy: ‘They've completed their sentence and they're still disenfranchised from voting’

    Race and Democracy: ‘They've completed their sentence and they're still disenfranchised from voting’
    Oct 16 2024
    Four million people won’t be allowed to vote in the upcoming election because of laws in 48 states that restrict your right to vote if you’ve ever been convicted of a felony. Most of the folks affected have already served their sentences. And you can probably guess which race is disproportionately affected by these laws. Nicole Porter is a Senior Advocacy Director for The Sentencing Project. She joins us this episode to share their research on felony disenfranchisement and its origins in anti-Black racism.
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    24 mins
  • Race and Democracy: ‘If we really care about representation, then we should be for eliminating obstacles’

    Race and Democracy: ‘If we really care about representation, then we should be for eliminating obstacles’
    Oct 9 2024
    So you live in one of the states that require some form of ID to vote. Everyone has one, right? In fact, there are lots of reasons someone might not have a valid ID. And getting one takes time, transportation, specific paperwork, availability during business hours, and of course, money. VoteRiders is a nonprofit organization that helps people get IDs in states where they need them to vote. On this episode we talk to Selene Gomez, VoteRiders’ National Outreach Director, about why that work is so important.
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    30 mins
  • Race and Democracy: ‘If your vote wasn't so powerful, nobody would be trying to suppress it’

    Race and Democracy: ‘If your vote wasn't so powerful, nobody would be trying to suppress it’
    Oct 2 2024
    So far this season we’ve learned a lot about voter suppression tactics and how they weaken our democracy. This episode and next, we’ll meet some folks who are working to reverse the damage and make voting more accessible. Caren Short is the Director of Legal and Research for the League of Women Voters, and she says there are many reasons to be hopeful. She joins us to talk about her organization’s work to empower voters, and the influence each of us has to make positive change.
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    28 mins
  • Race and Democracy: ‘Democracy should not be a partisan issue’

    Race and Democracy: ‘Democracy should not be a partisan issue’
    Sep 25 2024
    The Voting Rights act of 1965 said certain states had to check with the federal government before making any changes to their election laws. Sixteen states were subject to this “preclearance” process — all with an extensive history of racist voting practices. Just under 50 years later, the U.S. Supreme Court changed the rules, in a case called Shelby County v. Holder. On this episode, Dr. Kevin Morris talks us through the consequences of that decision, which he says were dire for equal voting access. He’s a Senior Research Fellow and Voting Policy Scholar at the Brennan Center for Justice.
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    29 mins
  • Race and Democracy: 'How do we stop these Black folk from voting?'

    Race and Democracy: 'How do we stop these Black folk from voting?'
    Sep 18 2024
    Since the 15th Amendment gave Black men the right to vote in 1870, policy makers have thrown obstacles between marginalized voters and the ballot box. The tactics may change, but the erosion of democracy is relentless. Dr. Carol Anderson is a historian, educator and the author of "One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression is Destroying Our Democracy." She joins us to help connect the dots between historical and modern factors that keep Black voters from being heard.
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    34 mins
  • Coming soon... We're unwrapping race and democracy

    Coming soon... We're unwrapping race and democracy
    Sep 3 2024
    Race affects our world, whether we're thinking about it or not. And this season, we're unwrapping how it influences our democracy. From literacy tests in the Jim Crow era to the voter ID laws of today, so many gears in the American political machine are turning to keep Black folks away from the ballot box. So for the next 6 weeks, we're drawing a line from then to now. We'll give you the historical context you need to understand how race impacts voting today. And we'll meet some of the people who are fighting to make voting more accessible to all. Coming September 18, from Louisville Public Media.
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    2 mins