Future Hindsight

Stephen Bright served as the director of the Southern Center for Human Rights in Atlanta, and is currently a lecturer at Yale Law School, as well as professor of practice at Georgia State College of Law. We discuss the death penalty in the United States and its relationship to poverty, race, and disadvantage. Poverty and Competent Representation The Supreme Court only decided in 1932 that a person in a death penalty case had a right to a lawyer. However, the government has competing interests when it must provide legal representation to a person whom it is trying to execute or imprison. Many court-appointed lawyers are not competent to represent someone accused in a capital case, ranging from falling asleep during trials, showing up drunk, or being plain inexperienced for capital cases. In a system like this, the people on death row are largely the most vulnerable in our society: extremely poor, victims of racism, suffering from mental illness, or with limited intellectual capabilities. Race and the Death Penalty Justice Douglas pointed out that the defendant's race was a key determinant in who received the death penalty. The criminal justice system is a part of our society least affected by the civil rights movement; the judge, the prosecutors, the court-appointed lawyers, and the juries are often all white in capital cases. In addition to race, location plays a huge role. Eighty percent of all the death sentences come from the South. Some prosecutors are more zealous than others in seeking the death penalty. A crime that is committed in one county might result in capital punishment, but not if it happened in a neighboring one. A Fair and Impartial Court System Competent legal representation is the foundation for justice in the courts because it provides protection against an innocent person being convicted. A competent lawyer investigates a case thoroughly, makes sure there really is a charge against the client, and presents all of the relevant evidence. Further, although there is little diversity among judges, prosecutors, and lawyers, a least the juries should represent the diversity of the community. Find out more: Stephen Bright is a lawyer, lecturer at Yale Law School, and professor of practice at Georgia State College of Law. He is a passionate advocate of a public defender system, and has also served as director, president, and senior counsel of the Southern Center for Human Rights in Atlanta.

Ross Morales Rocketto is co-founder of Run For Something, an organization that supports diverse, young progressives running for state and local office. We discuss which candidates win, why building a bench of local and state politicians is important, and how an increase of candidates leads to better voter turnout. The Importance of State and Local Office Eighty percent of the laws that are passed in this country are passed at the state and local level, which include the big issues of the day, such as health care, education, or criminal justice reform. Victories in these races have real impact. For example, as a result of elections in 2017, Medicaid was expanded for tens of thousands of families in Virginia. Successful Candidates What the winners have in common are that they are truly representative of their communities, both in their racial and ethnic backgrounds, as well as in their lived and shared experiences. They all work really hard to get elected. And finally, these candidates are not running to be something, but to do something. They are running to solve an issue that they're passionate about in their community. The Big Picture Lowering the barriers to voting makes it possible to build a bench of Democrats who are actually representative of the communities and experiences of America. Moreover, we know that a one-on-one conversation with a voter is the most effective way to get someone to turn out to vote. The more candidates run, the more one-on-one conversations are happening every single day, and the more people are going to turn out to vote. Find out more: Ross Morales Rocketto is co-founder and chief program officer of Run For Something, an organization that recruits and supports diverse, progressive, young folks who are running for state and local office.

"Telling these types of stories, showing people that it's not just white dudes who are lawyers, who have a lot of money, that can do this type of work is one of the most effective ways for us to try to show folks they can do it too." Ross Morales Rocketto, co-founder and chief program officer of Run For Something, kicks off the new season with a conversation about diverse, young candidates for state and local office. Tune in on February 16 for Season 5 of Future Hindsight!

Human Potential Education should be a path for children to develop into self-directed, self-supporting, skill-equipped young adults. This may or may not include a college education, but will require high levels of critical thinking skills. Creativity and innovation will be an integral part of any job in the future. Standardized Tests and College Readiness The norm today is to teach what is easy to test, such as narrow arithmetic, instead of what's important to learn. This turns the purpose of education on its head. Standardized tests and much of college ready content are not well retained by students and do not serve them to be ready for life. Democracy A healthy democracy thrives when citizens can think critically and independently. Education must make teaching citizenship skills a priority. Our collective humanity depends on a society of creative and conceptual thinkers who are committed to making positive contributions to their community. Find out more: Ted Dintersmith is an avid advocate and change agent focused on the impact of education and innovation on the future of civil society. He has produced several films and written two books on education. The most recent is What School Could Be: Insights and Inspiration from Teachers Across America.

Local Politics The impact of individual and group efforts can be decisive in local political races, such as in the elections for a judge, a district leader, or in the State Assembly. Having one-on-one conversations about what is happening in our own community is powerful because we discuss the policy choices that directly affect our lives. Get Involved! Citizens are the players in politics. They have the opportunity and the responsibility to determine who is elected into office. When citizens are involved, they are taking part in shaping public policy decisions. When they choose not to be engaged, they are assenting to the status quo, as opposed to fighting for the way that things could be. Public Policy and Politics We live in a society that is shaped by our public policy choices, which are directly derived from the results of political elections. We need idealistic people in both government and politics, who care about the outcomes and the policy choices that we make as a society. Find out more: Ben Theodore is a passionate community activist in Brooklyn, New York, as well as a program associate at the NYC Department of Education. He has previously worked as a campaign staffer and a teacher with the District of Columbia Public Schools and Teach for America. You can follow him on Twitter @btheodore.

Voting People broadly agree that voter turnout should be higher and that voting should be easier, for example by making Election Day a holiday. Although everyone over age 30 is convinced that voting is a fundamental way to create change, only half of young people agree. Surprisingly, a quarter of Americans are unsure about the most fundamental requirement to be eligible for voting: you have to be a citizen. Demographic Changes America is no longer a majority white Christian country. However, the diversity in the American religious and ethnic landscapes today will not show up at the ballot box until 2024, if current turnout rates stay the same. Because the voting population is primarily older and whiter, the ballot box rewinds the demographic change clock by about a decade. Bucking the trend this year, black women are poised to turn out at much higher rates than they historically have. Partisanship Our nation's tribalism has devolved to the point where many have stopped examining the issues and instead have used them to indicate their partisan loyalty. Seven in ten Americans have said that they need a break from the news because it is so exhausting. Public schools are less integrated than in the 1980s, and churches are becoming increasingly partisan as well as mono-racial. One sliver of hope is that at the local level, people are putting aside their differences to make their communities better. Find out more: Robert P. Jones, Ph.D. is a leading scholar and CEO of the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to conducting independent research at the intersection of religion, culture, and public policy.

The Powers of Voting Voting is our civic duty and our opportunity to participate in our democracy. We can hold our leaders accountable and also express what we believe this country can and should be. Voting means a lot to people in traditionally disenfranchised communities because it serves as an important expression of who we are as citizens. If it weren't powerful, nobody would try to suppress our right to vote. Voter Suppression Strict voter ID laws, voter roll purges, early voting cutbacks, and documentary proof of citizenship are the most effective ways to disenfranchise voters. Since the wave election in 2010, at least 23 states have enacted voter suppressive laws that are in place for this year's election. This trend was made worse when the Supreme Court struck down Section 4 in "Shelby County vs. Holder" in 2013, which eviscerated the pre-clearance process and made room for states to enact stricter voting laws without oversight from the federal government. Expansive Pro-Voter Laws The most promising and bipartisan way to expand the electorate is through modernization provisions, such as online voter registration and Automatic Voter Registration (AVR). Some studies in Oregon have shown that AVR also boosts voter turnout. With increased adoption of AVR across states, it will be more widely implemented over time. Other effective measures are Election Day Registration, expanding Early Voting, and restoring the right to vote to former felons who have completed the terms of their sentence. Find out more: Max Feldman serves as Counsel in the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at the NYU School of Law, where he focuses on voting rights and elections.

Political Power The proactive strategy of Latino Victory to build power through elections is a recipe for success. They focus on grooming and training candidates who represent their community's values, empowering Latino voters, and developing a pipeline of Latino donors. The proof is in the pudding: great Latino candidates are exploding Latino turnout. Demographics Latinos represent 18% of the U.S. population and natural-born Latinos are the fastest part of demographic growth. Half of them live in states that are not battleground states, which means that most candidates ignore them. In addition, Latinos only make up about 1% of all elected officials. The 2016 election shook this dynamic up, the way that Prop 187 mobilized Latinos in California. Four of the most competitive U.S. Senate races are in Latino states: Texas, Florida, Arizona, and Nevada. Latino issues are American issues Surveys show that Latinos prioritize on the issues just like most other Americans. Healthcare tops the list, followed by a strong economy, good jobs, education, and the environment. "You could just as easily call a Latino Victory Fund, "American Victory Fund"." Find out more: Cristóbal Alex is the President of Latino Victory, an organization that works to grow Latino political power by increasing Latino representation at every level of government and building a base of donors to support this critical work.

Phil Polakoff is a physician with a distinguished career in public health and clinical medicine, the CEO of A Healthier We, and a consulting professor at Stanford University of Medicine. We discuss how an emphasis on prevention coupled with innovations in healthcare access and delivery can help us share greater health and equity for all Americans. Demand Better Healthcare Policies We need a more efficient and effective health delivery system that encompasses all of us. Follow political candidates who are engaged in nuanced discussions about access, quality, and costs, instead of simple slogans. Social determinants such as housing, income, transportation, education, and the environment must be a part of any debate on healthcare. State or local level initiatives might lead on innovation. Opportunities for Reform Good health must start with personal responsibility and an emphasis on prevention. Access to healthcare should be optimized, both to avoid under utilization or over utilization and to address shortages of medical expertise, such as in mental health and elder care. Pilot programs that offer a holistic, team-oriented approach and use innovative technology are a good way to discover what works. Healthcare is a right We can engage along many points of the ecosystem that contribute to healthy living. Addressing all of the inequities in our healthcare system requires us to take part and hear each other's ideas out, share past experiences, and find culturally appropriate solutions in each community. We can achieve greater health and equity for all Americans when we share health as a universal value. Find out more: Phil Polakoff is a physician with a distinguished career in public health for over 35 years and an affiliated scholar at the Bill Lane Center for the American West at Stanford University.

Census data supports communities Government and businesses rely on census data to provide the necessary services that make healthy and vibrant communities possible. The data reveals how many grocery stores, pharmacies, hospitals, or schools are needed, and even influence public transportation routes and budgets. An accurate and fair count will ensure that adequate resources are allocated. Undercounting and the citizenship question Asking whether the census participant is a citizen could decrease the count because people are afraid that it would undermine their safety and privacy. Undercounting hurts all communities because it will imply that they need fewer resources. The U.S. Conference of Mayors, a bipartisan body of mayors, has joined a lawsuit to take the question off the census. The basis for political power Political redistricting happens as a result of significant demographic shifts. After the 2010 census, 18 states changed their number of congressional seats and Electoral College votes, starting with the 2012 elections. Texas gained four seats, and Florida gained two. Another 6 states gained on seat each, while 8 states lost one seat, and New York and Ohio each lost two. Find out more: Ashley Allison is the Executive Vice President of Campaigns and Programs at The Leadership Conference, the nation's premier civil and human rights coalition. It works on a wide range of issues, representative of the breadth of today's civil rights movement from immigration to disability rights, to the census and religious freedom. If you're interested in getting involved, email information@censuscounts.org and check out the Census Counts 2020 website.