Rashida Tlaib on the Future of the Democratic Party, and Yaa Gyasi on the Power of Faith

Congresswoman Tlaib talks about The Squad’s role and how grassroots activism is shaping the future of the Democratic Party. Infectious disease expert Dr. Celine Gounder, a member of the Biden Covid-19 task force, offers insights into two promising vaccines. Scholar Robert P. Jones discusses the intersection of religion and politics, and bestselling author Yaa Gyasi tells us about her new book, her Ghanaian roots, and removing the stigma around mental health.

Episode 9 Rundown

2:42 Representative Rashida Tlaib on how she continues to fight for her constituents despite working in a polarized Congress. 

4:28 Representative Tlaib reminisces on her upbringing in Detroit and how her community was so accustomed to inequality, they didn’t realize they had the short end of the stick. 

9:12 When talking about The Squad, Representative Tlaib says it’s all about the grassroots support, and how that supports the progressive policies she champions.

13:14 Dr. Celine Gounder dives into the goals of President-Elect Joe Biden’s Covid Task Force. 

15:05 Dr. Gounder breaks down the challenges that low-income and rural communities will have distributing a Covid vaccine.

21:12 Learn about how experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci envisions the rollout of the vaccine in our weekly Covid update.

22:28 Lonnae O’Neal of ESPN’s “The Undefeated” investigates the intersection of race, sports and health in America.

25:00 The distrust of the medical system among the Black community dates back decades, O’Neal explains.

27:03 Errin Haines of The 19th shares her take on current events as a political contributor for Our Body Politic.

27:53 Haines says the division between those who trust and those who don’t trust election results speaks to a wider disenfranchisement of Black and brown voters.

30:29 The Biden-Harris administration has a plan to put people in historically underrepresented communities into his cabinet, Haines explains, but where are the Black women?

32:23 Robert P. Jones, CEO and founder of The Public Religion Research Institute, gives listeners some insight on the influence of religion on how people vote.

37:17 Jones breaks down the cultural divide we are seeing in the country, “It really comes down to this big question of who is America, who gets to be an American, what does an American look like?”

41:45 Yaa Gyasi talks about writing, her Ghanaian roots, and finding her identity in America.

46:20 Growing up, Gyasi recalls her parents finding community in the church and explores the topic of finding community in her book.