Talk Radio – January 10, 2023: American Myths: Jan 6th and American Racism

GUESTS

Anthony Conwright: 12:00 PM – 12:57 PM Eastern Time

Joseline Garcia: 12:15 PM – 12:57 PM Eastern Time

QUESTIONS

• Mr. Conwright, please tell our audience about your background.
• What is an African American Policy Fellow?
• Why do you enjoy writing?
• What is the premise of your article in Mother Jones entitled “American Myths Are Made of White Grievance—and the Jan. 6 Big Lie Is Just the Latest”?
• How does the Mississippi Coup and Massacre inform our understanding of January 6th Insurrection?
• Which of the post-Reconstruction era tactics are still being deployed today?
• Has book banning been utilized before by states to promote white supremacy?
• As White Supremacy revels in voter suppression and thought suppression, how do we more effectively link these battles in the minds of the public?
• With the Crackdown on CRT and teaching our true racial history, how do we fight back to make sure folks are educated and informed about the Reconstruction and Post-Reconstruction Eras?
• What has been the reaction to your article?
• What is next for you?
• Joseline Garcia, What has been the reaction to the Jan 6th National Tele-Town Hall?
• What were your highlights from Friday’s Jan 6th Tele-Town Hall?
• How do we address this new GOP led House?
• What should be our next steps as Voting Rights advocates?
• What do you think is the most important grassroots organizing that you think needs to happen in order to ensure strong voter protection and engagement in November 2023 and 2024?
• What are your final thoughts to our listeners?
• Thank you for all of your hard work. How do our listeners get in contact with you?

SHOW DESCRIPTION AND BACKGROUND

Anthony Conwright is a writing fellow at the African American Policy Forum, co-founded by Kimberlé Crenshaw, where he writes about critical race theory. Anthony has been published online and in print in multiple outlets such as the Huffington Post, The Nation, The New Republic, and Mother Jones, and contributed content to California Western School of Law. In addition to his work as a journalist, Anthony has worked in education as a teacher and administrator. Anthony has worked as a middle school teacher, a dean of students at a high school, and started a middle school in Mumbai, India.

Joseline Garcia is an older sister to two younger brothers and the proud daughter of Mexican and Guatemalan immigrants. After witnessing her loved ones and communities be constant subjects of disrespect and hate, she began organizing campaigns in high school centered on immigration and education. Joseline believes in the vital role young people and marginalized communities have in movements, and has spent over a decade strengthening the political and electoral power of these communities through big scale, national organizing coupled with locally targeted campaigns. She is currently the Co-Founder/ Executive Director of Un-PAC, a national youth organization centered on making democracy truly representative of the people so that necessary solutions can become a political reality. In the past two years, Un-PAC has: ran the largest canvassing operation in the state of West Virginia, led a series of direct actions that facilitated a pivot towards prioritizing democracy reform within the U.S. Senate and White House, turned out young voters for pro-democracy candidates/ initiatives during the 2022 Midterm Elections, and targeted universities to become pro-democracy champions. Joseline is the outcome of efforts that advocate for equity, diversity and leadership.  

In Anthony’s new Mother Jones article entitled “American Myths Are Made of White Grievance—and the Jan. 6 Big Lie Is Just the Latest”, Anthony makes the point that “As we confront the insurrection on its two-year anniversary, it’s important to remind ourselves of what motivated the rioters that day: the idea that the United States is for white people, whose power must be protected at all costs…[and] even though race was not the only factor driving the insurrection, the data Pape’s team collected shows that white grievance was the primary motivator”. Tying data with history, Anthony makes the point that “[i]t would do history a disservice if we were to portray the insurrectionists as race-neutral victims of Trump’s swindle rather than what they are: junior partners of white supremacy.”

Barbara, Daryl, Anthony, and Joseline will discuss this article and its implications.