The Argument22 Des 2021

Sherrilyn Ifill: ‘There Is No Guarantee We Make It Out of This Period as a Democracy’

Last month, Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted on all charges related to the shooting of two people at a Black Lives Matter protest in Kenosha, Wisc. Before, during and after the trial, journalists and pundits broke down the most sensational moments on the stand, and many tried to discern what Rittenhouse’s not-guilty decision meant about the country at large. People were eager to draw direct connections between the arguments used in court and the inequities that are seen in the country on a daily basis.

But is looking at the Rittenhouse trial and other high-profile cases really the best way to understand where we are as a nation?

This is a question that Sherrilyn Ifill has had to contend with during the nearly 10 years she’s led the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Ifill oversaw the LDF as they sued the Trump administration and as the battle over voting rights has escalated over the past four years.

Jane and Ifill discuss how the LDF has navigated the role of practicing law while advocating political movements in the country. Ifill also shares why she decided to step down from the LDF next April, and what she will be working on next.

Mentioned in this episode:

A Perilous Path: Talking Race, Inequality and the Law, published in 2018.
The LDF’s Statement on the Acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse published on Nov. 19, 2021.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(216)

Is It Time to Break Up With Your Political Party?

In her two years hosting “The Argument,” Jane Coaston has changed her mind about many things — from court packing to police reform (though not on whether we should contact alien life). But this year, ...

14 Des 202238min

Should America Intervene in Haiti? ‘Go to Hell’ and Other Views

The United States has a long history of military intervention in other countries. Today, Haiti is in crisis. The country is facing gang violence, extreme hunger and intense political turmoil, sparked ...

7 Des 202229min

The One Thing Democrats Can Control — and How They Should Do It

Are the Democrats, finally, in array? They’ve just had the best midterms by a sitting president’s party in about 20 years, and passed significant legislation in 2022. And now House Speaker Nancy Pelos...

30 Nov 202232min

Best of: Is the News Media Setting Trump Up for Another Win?

This week, we're bringing you an episode from our archives that's more relevant than ever.After former President Donald Trump’s recent announcement of his 2024 White House bid — and his reinstatement ...

23 Nov 202233min

Has Donald Trump Lost His Grip on the Republican Party?

Donald Trump is running for president — again. Yet the results of last week’s midterms and the red wave that wasn’t signaled that perhaps Trump’s hold on the Republican Party isn’t so strong after all...

16 Nov 202225min

Donald Trump Was the Midterm’s Biggest Loser

As midterm election results continue to trickle in, one thing is clear: There’s no predicting American voters. After an unexpected showing for Democrats in tight races across the country, Jane Coaston...

9 Nov 202224min

The Price of $5 Donations: Is Small-Dollar Fund-Raising Doing More Harm Than Good?

As midterm frenzy reaches its peak, your inbox might be full of imploring fund-raising emails with increasingly desperate headlines: “Just $3 can make all the difference.” “Can you chip in today?” “Ul...

2 Nov 202233min

‘Maybe Gen Z Is Just Kinder’: How America’s Youngest Voters are Shaping Politics

Members of Gen Z (Americans under 26 years old) have come of age during the Trump presidency and a pandemic, in an era of protests over police violence, attacks on reproductive rights, rising economic...

26 Okt 202234min