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Summary
Summary
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
Despite the abundant evidence from Obama's victories proving that the U.S. population has fundamentally changed, many progressives and Democrats continue to waste millions of dollars chasing white swing voters. Explosive population growth of people of color in America over the past fifty years has laid the foundation for a New American Majority consisting of progressive people of color (23 percent of all eligible voters) and progressive whites (28 percent of all eligible voters). These two groups make up 51 percent of all eligible voters in America right now, and that majority is growing larger every day. Failing to properly appreciate this reality, progressives are at risk of missing this moment in history--and losing.
A leader in national politics for thirty years, Steve Phillips has had a front-row seat to these extraordinary political changes. A civil rights lawyer and a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, Phillips draws on his extensive political experience to unveil exactly how people of color and progressive whites add up to a new majority, and what this means for U.S. politics and policy. A book brimming with urgency and hope, Brown Is the New White exposes how far behind the curve Democrats are in investing in communities of color--while illuminating a path forward to seize the opportunity created by the demographic revolution
Author Notes
Steve Phillips is a New York Times bestselling author, columnist, and national political thought leader. He is the author of the New York Times and Washington Post bestselling Brown Is the New White: How the Demographic Revolution Has Created a New American Majority as well as How We Win the Civil War (both from The New Press); he is also the founder of Democracy in Color, a political media organization dedicated to race, politics, and the multicultural progressive New American Majority. Phillips is the host of "Democracy in Color with Steve Phillips," a color-conscious podcast on politics. He is regular columnist for The Nation and The Guardian. He lives in San Francisco.
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
A lethal combination-a poor understanding of demographics data and a myopic focus on white swing voters-is leading political candidates and their strategists to election disaster, says Phillips, co-founder of PowerPAC.org. He argues that Democrats lost midterm elections not because white voters swung right, but because "progressive Whites and people of color alike sat out the midterms." He posits that getting out the vote among voters of African, Asian, Native American, Latino, and Arab descent will lead to election wins and better policy: "In a changing population where people of color are nearly 40 percent of the country... speaking boldly and unapologetically to the causes of inequality has proven to be good and smart politics." As outlined here, the requirements for success include paying attention to demographers as well as donors, hiring diverse campaign personnel, and investing in the unsexy but necessary work of canvassing, rather than in television commercials. This book, squarely aimed at politicians with a progressive agenda, makes a compelling argument for prioritizing people of color in campaign design. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
An activist treatise on how shifting American demographics are changing the political climate. In a hard-hitting, peremptory discourse, social justice authority and civil rights attorney Phillips appeals for profound political changes significant enough to match what he claims is an encroaching wave of multiracial progressive voters he dubs the "New American Majority." With abundant use of solid statistics, the author delivers the news that over the past five decades, the population of American people of color has tripled in growth. He advocates for the ushering in of a new era in which political candidates duly recognize this majority. Phillips cautions that Pprogressive Pparty constituents won't gain political offices without multiracial support and that this particular demographic must be tapped much more aggressively than it currently is. He lucidly presents and supports the math behind the census demographics and further enumerates the varied racial groups who collectively make up this new majority. However, his critical scrutiny of America's historical preoccupation with what he calls the "White superiority mindset" (and with the Caucasian race in general) undermines his root goal of social equality. He speculates why white politicians have been so ineffective in creating positive social change and critiques the progressive movement's poor performance in acknowledging and harnessing the voting power of this diverse population. Alongside brilliant commentary on the urgent necessity of cultural competence, the book's closing chapters offer practical remedies and show how to integrate the strategies of the business world in stemming campaign funding wastefulness and an overhauling American public policy. Though overly heavy-handed at times, Phillips' robust plea for profound political changes is motivating and will invite those new to the discussion to join in the fight for social change and racial equality in America. A passionate discussion of race and politics sure to inspire heated debate and, hopefully, proactive solutions. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Phillips, cofounder of PowerPAC.org, a political-action committee striving for social justice, offers a manifesto to those seeking to change the way politics plays out in America today. He offers statistics stating that 51 percent of eligible voters in America today are progressive people of color and progressive whites. Phillips has a background in both politics and law, and here he lays out reasons why white politicians (mainly calling out the whole of the Democratic party) have stalled in producing effective social change stemming from the progressive movement's failure to utilize this new and diverse eligible voting majority. The book pulls no punches (there's a chapter titled, Fewer Smart-Ass White Boys) but is ultimately hopeful. Appendixes outline statistics, terminology, and recommended reading. This slim yet jam-packed call to action will be in demand, both because Phillips is a popular pundit and because the time is ripe for an upheaval in politics-as-usual.--Vnuk, Rebecca Copyright 2016 Booklist
Choice Review
Democrats believe that demographic change will secure their future. A "new Democratic majority" consisting of the growing non-white population, augmented by progressive whites who elected Barack Obama, has the potential to produce Democratic congressional majorities needed to enact the policies advocated by liberal presidents. The expanded ranks of non-whites are traceable to the Voting Rights Act and the Immigration and Nationality Act, both of which Congress passed in 1965. Yet even as the base for the Democratic Party shifts, Phillips claims the party remains stuck in its history. As a result of top campaign leadership posts disproportionately filled by whites, critical decisions fail to maximize the new Democratic majority. Rather than advocating liberal programs to mobilize non-whites, Democratic candidates moderate their stands in futile efforts to attract white swing voters while failing to activate non-whites, which results in Republican victories. Money goes into television ads rather than canvassing to identify and mobilize minority supporters. As Democrats fail to adapt campaigns to match the changing conditions, Republicans, becoming aware of the demographic time bomb, have begun recruiting minority candidates and, excepting Donald Trump, initiate policy overtures that appeal to non-whites. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers, lower- and upper-division undergraduates. --Charles S. Bullock, University of Georgia
