The Context

American history is a story about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Stacey Abrams discusses why Americans should embrace and defend DEI as democratic values. She explains how DEI benefits all Americans, expanding participation in our democracy and access to the American dream. Stacey Abrams is a political leader, lawyer, voting rights activist, and bestselling author. Abrams served in the Georgia House of Representatives for over a decade and as the Minority Leader from 2011-2017. As Georgia’s Democratic nominee for governor in 2018, she became the first Black woman to win a major party’s gubernatorial nomination. She is the inaugural Ronald W. Walters Endowed Chair for Race and Black Politics at Howard University and CEO of Sage Works Productions. Abrams has launched several organizations to protect and advance democracy, including Fair Fight Action, the Southern Economic Advancement Project, and most recently, American Pride Rises.

American democracy relies on nonpartisan civil servants to detect and combat corruption. Alexander Vindman was one such civil servant when he reported abuses of power by former President Trump, resulting in Vindman being fired from the federal government and retiring from the armed forces. Vindman discusses what a second Trump administration and Project 2025 would mean not only for democracy in the US, but also in Ukraine. Vindman explains the history of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia and its implications for global democracy. Alexander Vindman is a retired US Army lieutenant colonel and an expert in national security. He has previously served as the director for European affairs on the United States National Security Council, the political-military affairs officer for Russia at the Pentagon, and as an attaché at the American embassies in Moscow and Kyiv. In addition to being a Hauser Leader at Harvard University and a senior fellow at Johns Hopkins University’s Foreign Policy Institute, he is a Kettering Foundation Senior Fellow.

Neal Katyal, a legal expert, discusses how the Supreme Court's rush to decide social controversies damages its legitimacy. He highlights recent decisions on presidential immunity and regulatory agencies, impacting American democracy. Exploring the balance of powers, impacts of overturning precedents, and shifts in administrative law, the podcast focuses on the Court's institutional credibility.

What if the January 6 attack on the US Capitol had been successful? Alan Jenkins and Gan Golan explore just that in their graphic novel series, entitled 1/6: The Graphic Novel. They also discuss how the events of January 6, 2021, diverge from democratic principles, such as free speech and the right to protest. Alan Jenkins is a Professor of Practice at Harvard Law School. His previous positions include President of The Opportunity Agenda (a social justice communication lab that he cofounded), Assistant to the Solicitor General at the Department of Justice, and Director of Human Rights at the Ford Foundation. Gan Golan is an artist, cultural strategist, and bestselling author. He has organized major protest movements, including Occupy Wall Street and the People’s Climate March, and is the cocreator of the Climate Clock in NYC. Links: https://onesixcomicsstore.com/ https://www.westernstatescenter.org/s/WSC-Action-Guide-1-6-single-pg.pdf

The Human Rights Campaign declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ+ Americans for the first time in 2023. In state houses across the country, we are seeing legislation that targets the rights and dignity of LGBTQ+ people. Kelley Robinson discusses how these attacks are part of a broader antidemocratic movement in the US and why it is important to develop a more inclusive culture for our democracy. Kelley Robinson is the president of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People of 2024. Prior to becoming the first Black, queer woman to lead HRC, she was the executive director of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. She has over 15 years of experience in campaign organizing, community building, and coalition building for society’s most underserved populations. She is also a Kettering Foundation Senior Fellow. Links: https://www.hrc.org/campaigns/we-show-up https://time.com/6964843/kelley-robinson/

American voters have never been more dissatisfied. Unlike in business, where more competition promotes accountability and innovation, our political system only allows for two competitors. For most voters, America’s two-party system makes elections more about defeating the other side than solving problems and delivering. Katherine Gehl proposes Final-Five Voting, where five candidates advance from a nonpartisan primary and then are ranked, to promote competition and ensure representatives are accountable to a majority of voters. Katherine Gehl is a leader in the national nonpartisan movement for political innovation and the founder of The Institute for Political Innovation. A philanthropist and former CEO, she examines America’s political system through an industry-competition lens to better understand its biggest problems and to identify achievable solutions. Her book, The Politics Industry: How Political Innovation Can Break Partisan Gridlock and Save Our Democracy (2020), cowritten with Michael E. Porter, has changed the national reform community’s approach to modern political change. https://political-innovation.org/ https://store.hbr.org/product/the-politics-industry-how-political-innovation-can-break-partisan-gridlock-and-save-our-democracy/10367

In commemoration of the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education (1954), Matthew Delmont discusses the symbolic and practical significance of the landmark decision. Although it deemed legal segregation unconstitutional, Brown v. Board did not result in meaningful school integration right away. In fact, the decision represents the long history of civil rights, in which activists had to outflank intense political reluctance and backlash. Matthew Delmont is the Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Professor of History at Dartmouth College and a Guggenheim Fellow. An expert on African American history and the history of civil rights, he has written five books: Half American (2022), Black Quotidian (2019), Why Busing Failed (2016), Making Roots (2016), and The Nicest Kids in Town (2012). His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Atlantic, the Washington Post, NPR, and several academic journals. Originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Delmont earned a BA from Harvard University and an MA and PhD from Brown University. Links: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/624655/half-american-by-matthew-f-delmont/ https://blackquotidian.org/ https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520284258/why-busing-failed https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520291324/making-roots

Citizenship is a perpetual debate in America. Martha S. Jones discusses how the exclusion of women and people of color from the early Republic led them to develop their own political cultures and collective institutions. As a result, marginalized people, particularly Black women, reframed politics in a way that was more aligned with America’s democratic ideals than any other political vision at the time. Elevating their voices and visions of democracy helps clarify who we have been and who we hope to be. Martha S. Jones is the Society of Black Alumni Presidential Professor, a Professor of History, and a Professor at the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University. A legal and cultural historian, her work examines how Black Americans have shaped the story of American democracy. She has written three award-winning books: Vanguard (2022), Birthright Citizens (2018), and All Bound Up Together (2007). Links: https://snfagora.jhu.edu/about-snf-agora/ https://hardhistory.jhu.edu/ https://alumni.jhu.edu/affinitygroups/soba https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/martha-s-jones/vanguard/9781541618619/?lens=basic-books https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/birthright-citizens/7A4BFAF68722E7EC837C2888C46E4434 https://uncpress.org/book/9780807858455/all-bound-up-together/

In 2015, the US Census Bureau released a report projecting that the US would become a majority minority nation by 2044. Justin Gest asserts that the US reached this milestone a long time ago. Gest discusses America’s immense diversity and immigrant roots, which can be sources of unity, rather than division. He interrogates the use of categories and labels that ultimately divide us, calling for a more civic and inclusive understanding of the nation. Justin Gest is a professor of Policy and Government at George Mason University. A scholar of the politics of immigration and demographic change, he has written six books, the most recent entitled Majority Minority (2022). His research is published in many peer-reviewed academic journals, and he provides commentary for major media outlets. You can keep up with his work on his website, justingest.com. Links: https://justingest.com/ https://global.oup.com/academic/product/majority-minority-9780197641798

American democracy is under attack, and much of the damage is done in statehouses. David Pepper explains how Americans’ hyper-fixation on national politics opens the door for corruption and anti-democratic actions at the state level. In Ohio, state legislators have undermined democracy by manipulating election policies and drawing unfair legislative districts. Pepper discusses how all Americans, regardless of political affiliation, can incorporate saving democracy into their daily lives. David Pepper is a lawyer, writer, political activist, and adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Law. He served as Chair of the Ohio Democratic Party from 2015-2021. In addition to his daily Substack, he has written several books. Two address state-level attacks on democracy: Laboratories of Autocracy: A Wake-Up Call from Behind the Lines (2021) and Saving Democracy: A User’s Manual for Every American (2023). His other books are political thrillers, the most recent being The Fifth Vote (2023). He also serves as a Senior Fellow for the Charles F. Kettering Foundation. Links: https://davidpepper.substack.com/ https://laboratoriesofautocracy.com/ https://savedemocracy.us/about/