When James Baldwin went on the Dick Cavett Show in 1969, he was asked a very loaded question: why aren’t Black people more optimistic? Jim Crow laws had been outlawed, Black people were becoming mayors and successful businesspeople… so why was he still talking about race?

Obviously racism didn’t “end” with the Civil War, or the Civil Rights Act, or Obama’s election. In fact, Donald Trump has spurred a resurgence — there’s been a nearly 50% increase in white supremacy groups just in the past few years. And yet he’s waging a war on Diversity Equity and Inclusion programs, Critical Race Theory, and the very notion that racism still exists.

But racism – and anti-Blackness in particular – is still a powerful force. It’s built into the very structure of the country. It shows up in politics, medicine, sports, education, and even eBay.

In this week’s episode of Okay But Why, we explore the history of anti-Blackness in America, how it manifests to this day, and what we can do about it. If you want to learn more, there are so many books, films, and podcasts out there! Check out Code Switch, The 1619 Project, Stamped From The Beginning, The Black Friend, White Tears/Brown Scars, Hood Feminism, or the upcoming The Race Track: How The Myth of Equal Opportunity Defeats Racial Justice.

For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue.

You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media!

Twitter: @TheSWPpod and @RedWineBlueUSA

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Last year, extreme weather cost us hundreds of American lives and hundreds of billions of dollars. So… why is the Trump Administration defunding the Weather Service?

The Weather Service is part of NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. We need NOAA to help us predict storms and warn people when they need to evacuate. The data is used by airports to make sure planes can fly safely, by farmers to know when to plant their crops, by fishing companies to know when it’s safe to send boats out on the water, and by construction companies to plan the best time to pour concrete and calculate the right risks of wildfires or flooding. And individual Americans rely on their weather apps and local meteorologists to tell them when it’s safe to go out for a hike or what to pack for an upcoming vacation. The weather app on your phone isn’t magical - it relies on weather data provided by NOAA.

Climate and weather may be complicated, but the reason why Trump is cutting NOAA is very simple: it’s in Project 2025.

What Project 2025 wants to do is make NOAA a private, for-profit service. But some things are a public good - like schools, parks, and information. Who benefits when climate and weather information is suddenly paywalled? The millionaires and billionaires who run the companies that now own that information.

If we want to survive and thrive over the next few generations, we need access to the best information about our atmosphere and oceans. Weather isn’t a partisan issue and we should keep it that way.

For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue.

You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media!

Twitter: @TheSWPpod and @RedWineBlueUSA

Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA

Facebook: @RedWineBlueUSA

YouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA

Right now, most of us are feeling stress and anxiety. On top of everything else in our lives, the political chaos seems too much to bear. A 2024 survey from the American Psychological Association found that over 70% of adults consider the country’s future a significant source of stress — and even though we’re only four months into 2025, if our group chats are any indication, we’re struggling now more than ever.

At the same time, there’s an epidemic of loneliness. Former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an official advisory about loneliness in 2023… turns out, it’s not just bad for our mood, it’s bad for our physical health too. People who are disconnected and lonely are twice as likely to die as people who have strong communities.

The good news is, community connection can help with both of these problems! Not only do social bonds make us healthier and happier, political action is far more effective when done as a group. We all have different strengths and perspectives, and our friends can fill in the gaps when we need a break.

In these chaotic and stressful times, community is more important than ever. It isn’t just good for our hearts and minds, it’s good for democracy. When women with shared values get together, there’s no stopping us.

For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue.

You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media!

Twitter: @TheSWPpod and @RedWineBlueUSA

Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA

Facebook: @RedWineBlueUSA

YouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA