In conjunction with the release of Steve Phillip's new book, Are White Men Smarter Than Everybody Else?: Playing Offense in the Fight for Racial Justice in America, Democracy in Color presents a three-part podcast series exploring one crucial question.

White men are 29% of the U.S. population, but dominate positions of power across nearly every sector.

In Part 2 of this special series, Steve and Sharline turn to historical and scientific research to explore the existing justifications of inequality. They trace a throughline from slavery and Reconstruction to elite universities and modern-day DEI backlash. They also unpack how systems of power were deliberately engineered to defend “natural inequality” and how definitions of “merit” were rewritten to protect them.

Then, UC Berkeley law professor john a. powell explains how unconscious bias influences our everyday decisions and how small, invisible assumptions add up to massive disparities that eventually start to feel normal, and even inevitable.

Are White Men Smarter Than Everybody Else?: Playing Offense in the Fight for Racial Justice in America by Steve Phillips - available now!

john a. powell - About

Jennifer Eberhardt - About

Jerome Karabel - The Chosen

Isabel Wilkerson - Caste

In conjunction with the release of Steve Phillip's new book, Are White Men Smarter Than Everybody Else?: Playing Offense in the Fight for Racial Justice in America, Democracy in Color presents a three-part podcast series exploring one crucial question.

In Part 1 of this special podcast series, three young people share their thoughts on the overrepresentation of white men in positions of power and influence. We ask them: is this reality the result of meritocracy or something else?

As part of this first episode, we also delve further into issues of diversity and equity in America, from centuries of exclusion and systemic barriers to the lived realities of navigating power as young people today, the students discuss the myriad reasons inequality persists despite claims from leaders across sectors of society that America is a meritocracy.

Are White Men Smarter Than Everybody Else?: Playing Offense in the Fight for Racial Justice in America by Steve Phillips - available now

Three key voices behind the new documentary First They Came for My College join Steve to share how community, art, and activism became tools to fight back against censorship and ideological warfare at the New College of Florida.

Harry Hanbury, a seasoned filmmaker and alumnus of New College, shares behind-the-scenes insights to documenting the fight to save a campus under siege. Amy Reid, a former professor and board member, recounts the courage it took to stand up and resist the systematic erasure of LGBTQ+ and Black studies programs. And Gaby Batista, a former student journalist on campus, offers a frontline view of how students survived the fascist takeover while using arts and culture to preserve their community’s spirit.

First They Came for My College - Website

Harry Hanbury, New College Alum, Producer, Camera Operator - /harryhanbury

Amy Reid, Program Director, Freedom to Learn at PEN America - About

Gaby Batista, Protagonist, Cameraperson - About