Beto O’Rourke on Racial Justice & Transforming Texas

Democracy in Color with Steve Phillips

Texas might not be blue yet, but it’s getting there, and several leaders across the state are laying the foundation for a political transformation that’ll change the future of American politics. In this episode, we speak with former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke, who’s following in the footsteps of former Georgia Rep. Stacey Abrams and doing the work to expand democracy across the Lone Star State. Beto joins us to talk about his innovative, historic 2018 Senate campaign, radical empathy as a framework for white progressives, and what the future of Texas politics means to the rest of the nation. We discuss how he learned to be a white ally and his efforts to help seniors in Texas during last month’s devastating winter storm. He also talks about his future plans and shares the top three artists he would include on a road trip playlist! Spoiler alert: the Texas pride is real. REFERENCES: Beto O’Rourke - https://twitter.com/BetoORourke 'I can think of nothing more American': Beto O’Rourke responds to question on NFL protests - https://youtube.com/watch?v=lAw9eXXVwfM Colin Kaepernick - https://twitter.com/Kaepernick7 Steve Phillips / The Nation - This Is Why Texas Is the Next Georgia https://thenation.com/article/politics/texas-georgia-elections-democrats/ Powered by People - https://twitter.com/poweredxpeople Texas Organizing Project - https://twitter.com/OrganizeTexas H.R.1 - For the People Act of 2019 https://congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/1 Isabel Wilkerson - https://twitter.com/isabelwilkerson Beyoncé - https://twitter.com/Beyonce Joe Ely - http://ely.com Willie Nelson - https://twitter.com/WillieNelson