Watch: TheGrio and the Associated Press team up for ‘Race & Democracy: The Facts and The Fury,’ a conversation on the state of American politics

OPINION: With so much at stake in the 2024 election, the two media companies came together to help voters navigate an increasingly polarizing political landscape.

Every four years, the rhetoric surrounding recent presidential elections seems to boil down to “This is the most important election of our lifetime!” Well, 2024 is no different. The future of American democracy is at stake as the rise of fascist-leaning politicians lure voters to the polls with anti-Black and anti-immigrant rhetoric, language that explicitly dehumanizes the LGBTQ+ community and policies that will ruin the economic vitality of marginalized people. 

To provide context to the current politic crisis, theGrio and the Associated Press recently teamed up for an exciting conversation about the current state of American democracy called “Race & Democracy: The Facts and The Fury.” Moderated by AP race and ethnicity national video journalist Noreen Nasir, the panel discussion features two of the AP’s top political journalists — race and politics reporter Ayanna Alexander and Aaron Morrison, AP’s race and ethnicity editor — as well as theGrio’s Marc Lamont Hill, host of the “TheGrio With Marc Lamont Hill” and me, host of “Blackest Questions” on theGrio Black Podcast Network. You can watch the panel discussion in the video above or at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday on theGrio Television Network.

This important, first-of-its-kind collaboration between theGrio and the AP will provide a better understanding of everything from white supremacist violence, the long-lasting effects of police violence, the upcoming elections and the overwhelming sense of apathy from many voters. 

There is great skepticism surrounding the American voting system — a slew of recent legislation has added more barriers to voting for Black people, and our communities are constantly flooded with disinformation and misinformation in an effort to prohibit and suppress voter turnout. If we do indeed care about economic justice, economic mobility and economic equality, we must be vigilant and take the time to get a better understanding of the retrograde and draconian Republican policies in statehouses across the country and even at the highest level of our judiciary system.

There are so many important issues at stake in our current politics — economics, the environment, incarceration, courts and education, to name just a few. Why are we seeing a resurgence of labor organizing across the country? Is our infrastructure strong enough to withstand the growing environmental crises in cities, suburbs and rural areas across the nation? What will become of public education after efforts to ban books, alter American history and stack school boards with individuals who are hostile to truth-telling? What is to become of a nation that is not adequately educated and ill-prepared for the intellectual challenges that lie ahead? 

Where will this country be in the next five years? It is hard to say. We know there are so many vital issues on the table right now that it can sometimes feel overwhelming to stay informed about the myriad ways our institutions are being pushed to their limits. However, even though things may seem like “doom and gloom” politically, there are very clear and succinct ways we can participate and encourage others to do the same, regardless of geographic locale, age or race.

This panel is the beginning of what will hopefully become a series of sustained conversations with journalists and scholars who care about the future of our democracy and the pursuit of freedom and equality for Black people. Check out “Race & Democracy: The Facts and The Fury” above or at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday on theGrio Television Network.

Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Fordham University, author of “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration and the Pursuit of the American Dream” and co-host of the podcast “FAQ-NYC” and host of the “Blackest Questions” podcast at TheGrio. She is a 2023-24 Moynihan Public Scholars Fellow at CCNY.

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