Tammy Duckworth on a Lifetime of Service, Breaking Down the “WoC Vote,” and the Freedom to Imagine Liberation

This week Farai Chideya speaks with Senator Tammy Duckworth about serving in the military, becoming a mother, and advocating for safe and equitable environments for veterans. Washington insider Stephanie Valencia breaks down the so-called Latino vote, and challenges the major parties to show up beyond an election year. Farai talks to our finance contributor Ruth Umoh about the significance and optics of Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris for women of color. And journalist S. Mitra Kalita and Farai get real on the role of journalists in a pandemic.

Episode Rundown

1:00 Farai gets a feel for post-election celebrations in Washington, DC, and introduces this week’s show.

1:52 Tammy Duckworth talks about serving in the military and how she would do it again, even if that meant she’d be injured again.

8:46 Duckworth shares her thoughts on the importance of Senator Kamala Harris becoming the Vice President elect.

9:38 The Senator balances being career-driven and becoming a mother.

13:20 We congratulate our political contributor Errin Haines for receiving the Vernon Jarrett Medal for Journalistic Excellence.

15:03 Chideya and Haines talk about what the Biden-Harris administration can and should do to materially improve the lives of Black Americans. 

17:54 Looking into the Senate race in Haines’ home state, Georgia.

20:50 Stephanie Valencia breaks down the “Latino vote” and insists there’s just as much nuance to this voter group as others, but less attention paid to that complexity.

24:06 “I would like Democrats to treat Latino voters a little bit more like white swing voters. We are that diverse and that nuanced...” says Stephanie Valencia of EquisLabs.

24:58 Our weekly Covid update looks at how communities of color are continually impacted by the pandemic.

26:02 Researchers determine that there are not enough people getting the flu shot this season.

27:07 Ruth Umoh talks about the Biden Plan for Black America and how it could be accomplished.

29:26 Umoh breaks down how we hold politicians accountable by continuing to mobilize and vote. 

30:25 Forbes researches the best employers for veterans, and how to ensure veterans succeed in civilian careers.

32:18 Imagining a future of liberation for women of color, with Sharon Chang and Kamal Sinclair of The Guild of Future Architects.

33:58 Sinclair talks about how and when people feel liberated, and why imagining that liberation can be powerful.

36:16 Chang explains why she’s an optimist: “My optimism really rests on our ability to just think outside of all frameworks, all language, all understanding, all mindsets, so we can liberate ourselves in the sense that anything really is possible.”

39:25 Call into our SPEAK platform to participate in the collective envisioning of our future!

40:21 Ajón Crump decides to make the best of her time in lockdown by fundraising for and sending free sneakers to nurses on the frontline of the pandemic.

42:48 Journalist S. Mitra Kalita talks about how her own experience in the pandemic made her aware of the importance of tight-knit communities and taking care of your neighbors.

45:28 How Kalita uses her skills as a journalist to help her community survive the effects of the pandemic, and gets the idea for starting a local newsletter, Epicenter-NYC.

46:53 Kalita talks about how Epicenter-NYC could be the framework for a new model of community-based, hyperlocal journalism.