On this episode of The Remix, author Ari Berman discusses how the 2013 Supreme Court ruling gutted the 1965 Voting Rights Act set in motion a national strategy of systematic voter suppression. 

While Donald Trump and the media debate allegations of voter fraud, Ari Berman, of The Nation, says what the nation should be discussing is voter suppression.  

"I can tell you very, very  definitely, there were far more people turned away from the polls, because of voter suppression, than fraudulent votes cast", says Berman.

Ari Berman is a senior contributing writer for The Nation magazine and author of "Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights" and "Herding Donkeys: The Fight to Rebuild the Democratic Party and Reshape American Politics". His work has also appeared in The New York Times, Rolling Stone and The Atlantic.  

In 2015 "Give Us the Ballot"  was named one of the best books of the year by The New York Times, the Washington Post and NPR.

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How voter suppression may have helped Donald Trump win the election

Sarah Kendzior was writing pieces, tweeting and discussing the potential dangers of a Trump presidency long before the election. On today's episode of The Remix, host James Peterson talks to Kendzior about how Trump's business interests, combined with influences from Russia could pose grave dangers for American democracy. 

Kendzior is the author of The View From Flyover Country, a collection of essays which was published in 2015.  She is a journalist, researcher and foreign policy expert.  Here work has appeared in numerous publications, including POLITICO, The Guardian and The New York Times.  She has appeared on as a guest on NPR, MSNBC, CBC News, FOX News and BBC World Service.

Authoritarianism, kleptocracy and Russian interference feared in Trump presidency

Author Margot Lee Shetterly grew up knowing that black women were behind the success of the early space program, that eventually became NASA. Shetterly grew up knowing their children and grandchildren in her Hampton, Virginia community.  Her recent book "Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race" tells the story of these "human computers" who helped launch America's space program, broke racial and gender barriers and supported the next generation of African American engineers and aerospace professionals.

The true story behind 'Hidden Figures'

While we await the vote to confirm or reject  Jeff Sessions as attorney general of the United States, we talk with Drexel University law professor Donald Tibbs about how Sessions could affect cases involving police shootings of unarmed people of color.

Sen. Jeff Sessions, race and law enforcement

For just about every protest, march and/or civic action, since the Trump administration began, I have been on the ground, covering the proceedings, and speaking with the people who have become the soldiers of “The Resistance.” On Sunday, Jan. 29, my 15-year-old daughter, Breanna, and I drove to Philadelphia International Airport to join the protest action against President Trump’s executive order on immigration, the so-called “Muslim ban.”

Trump's 'Muslim ban' breeding a new generation of protestors

This week we talk to Dr. Sheena Howard about her film, "Remixing Colorblind." The documentary examines perceptions about race on college campuses through discussions with students and educators.   The film looks at how the educational system shapes students' understanding of race and race relations.

If you think your approach to race is 'colorblind,’ you’re wrong

On this episode we talk to artist Danny Simmons about creating opportunities for artists of color. We celebrate the late great Clyde (Funky Drummer) Stubblefield and, we give serious side eye to the Trump administration's Black History Month antics.

Artist Danny Simmons, a tribute to 'The Funky Drummer', and  Trump's Black history blunders

On June 27, 2015 Bree Newsome, wearing a safety helmet atop her braids, climbed up the flag pole on the grounds of the South Carolina capitol,  unhooked the Confederate flag  fluttering at the top, and climbed back down.  She was calm as she was arrested by two police officers waiting at the bottom.  

Newsome removed the flag  ten days after white supremacist Dylan Roof murdered 9 Black worshippers attending bible study at the Emanuel AME church in Charleston, South Carolina. 

We check in with Newsome, a musician and filmmaker, on where she is now with her art and her activisim.

"Wonder Bree" image by Rebecca Cohen @GynoStar, http://patreon.com/gynostar  Gyno-Star comic: http://gynostar.com

Activist Bree Newsome on taking down the Confederate flag and the legacy of oppression

Each week, "The Remix with Dr. James Peterson" takes a fresh look at how race, culture and politics intersect. Peterson, director of Africana Studies and associate professor of English at Lehigh University, will talk to people who are not necessarily in the mainstream news cycle, but who are driving opinions, news and movements through media platforms new and old.

Peterson is a graduate of Duke University and the University of Pennsylvania, and the founder of Hip Hop Scholars, Inc., an association of hip hop generational scholars dedicated to researching and developing the cultural and educational potential of hip hop, urban, and youth cultures.

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