We are witnessing America as a failed social experiment.

How do we tell this story in a way that builds the kind of emotional moments of the colorblind ideology built?

So many young brothers and sisters of the younger generation find themselves so far removed in the best of their past.

What are we going to make out of the nothing we've been given? How do you envision possibility?

Welcome to a special edition of the tightrope. I'm Tricia Rose, and I'm with my dear friend, brilliant thinker,

and freedom fighter, Cornell West. And this is our first of three convention watch parties.

Tonight, we'll listen to speeches from Bernie Sanders, Michelle Obama, Congressman Claiborne,

Senator Amy Klobuchar, and we're joined for both hours by the amazing

Connie Rice, our country's leading civil rights attorney and co-director for the Advancement

Project.

But before we move to our conversation with Connie, I want to just check in with you, Cornell,

as we begin these two weeks of political conventions.

I mean, what do you make of this most unusual political context? I've called them the COVID

conventions. What do you make of them, Cornell? I think they're symptomatic in so many ways of the

American Empire at one of its eight of the American Empire at one of its

eight years, American democracy, one of its low points, and we're going to see whether

we can mobilize what is required to try to push out the neo-fashioned gangst in the White

House and create some kind of possibility so we can focus on precious poor and working

people of all colors, but especially the chocolate ones that spill over on precious poor and working people of all colors,

but especially the chocolate ones that spill over to all poor and working peoples.

And so it's good to be here with you, Sister Fisher, as it always is.

And of course, Sister Connie, I mean, good God, they don't come better.

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