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Notes from America with Kai Wright

The Racist History of Georgia’s Runoff

Notes from America with Kai Wright

WNYC Studios

News Commentary, Politics, History, News

4.41.5K Ratings

🗓️ 21 December 2020

⏱️ 49 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Segregationists gamed the system 57 years ago. But this year, Black organizers may have finally slipped the knot that Jim Crow tied around democracy in the state. Ari Berman, senior reporter at Mother Jones and author of “Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America” (2016), joins us to explain the history of runoff elections in Georgia -- and to talk about what might have changed in 2020. We also talk to Nsé Ufot, the CEO of The New Georgia Project, about the organization’s work to get out the vote on the ground right now. COMPANION LISTENING: “They’ve Never Wanted You to Vote” (10/26/2020) Historian Carol Anderson walks Kai through the history of voter suppression since the Voting Rights Act. “A Historian’s Guide to the 2020 Election” (9/28/2020) Eric Foner explains the Reconstruction amendments to our Constitution--and why we don’t actually have an affirmative right to vote, among other oddities. “The Right Kind of Woman” (10/31/2018) Kai drops in on Stacey Abrams’s 2018 gubernatorial campaign and talks with her about her strategy for turning Georgia purple. “The United States of Anxiety” airs live on Sunday evenings at 6pm ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts. To catch all the action, tune into the show on Sunday nights via the stream on WNYC.org/anxiety or tell your smart speakers to play WNYC.

Transcript

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0:00.0

This is the United States of Anxiety, a show about the unfinished business of our history and its

0:07.0

grip on our future.

0:08.2

George has set Donald Trump packet.

0:10.8

For the first time in four years, we have the opportunity to define the next chapter in American history.

0:17.0

Early voting started this week and Democrats need both wins to gain control of the Senate.

0:22.0

We all need to get on the control of the Senate.

0:22.5

We all need to get on the midnight train to Georgia

0:25.4

so we can get a triangular alignment of values

0:28.6

between the House the Senate and the presidency

0:30.1

to get things passed like the John Robert Lewis Voting Rights Act.

0:34.0

Republicans have advantages going into these elections.

0:36.8

Historically, they've always won runoffs in Georgia.

0:39.2

People work really, really hard to keep us from voting and we keep showing up.

0:43.2

We have a mission and that is to serve Georgians.

0:46.0

In the words of Andre 3,000, the South's got something to say and that's all I'm going to say.

1:01.0

Welcome to the show. I'm Kai Wright. Here's one of my pet fees. It's when people say to me,

1:03.8

why can't you just let go of the past?

1:06.3

Quit bringing up old stuff.

1:07.7

Move on.

1:08.3

Look ahead.

1:09.7

The sentiment just drives me nuts,

1:12.1

which I guess is no surprise given that this show is all about how our history haunts us, but still.

...

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