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“With these laws in particular, they are not race neutral. These laws are deeply rooted in an attempt to exclude Black people from our democracy.”

In 2016, a report from the progressive think tank Demos found that most campaign dollars in local elections were coming from contributors who are white, male and high-income.

“Voting rights is the foundational issue in American politics and American society. Simply put, if we don’t all have an equal say, how can we expect to have an equal chance?”

“It’s a lot of debt out there. But that debt and the burden of that debt is not necessarily being felt equally. It’s extremely difficult for borrowers of color in particular."

“It doesn’t address a lot of the co-pollutants that are also produced in fossil fuel combustion that have public health impacts.”

“There’s a generational fairness issue."

"I think Greta has been able to speak truth to power in a way that has resonated with a lot of young people who are frustrated, who have lived their whole lives seeing inaction on climate change."

"You can’t talk about student debt without talking about the Great Recession."

“Education is supposed to be the great equalizer in America."

“We have depressed ourselves into a mindset in which $30,000 in debt is acceptable for a degree.”

"We have depressed ourselves into a mindset in which $30,000 in debt is acceptable for a degree."

"Through this bill, the maximum Pell Grant would cover 31% of the total cost of college, so it moves us in a better direction."

The crisis of American democracy is a deeper, more chronic one arising from systemic racial and gender exclusion, entrenched economic inequality, and technological and ecological transformations that undermine dreams of collective action and inclusive shared self-governance.

Demos’s report details how historical and structural racism contributes to higher interest rates and insurance costs for Black and Latinx people, compared to white Americans.

"The percent of low-income students borrowing for a bachelor’s degree is unconscionably high, particularly if you consider their debt loads as a percent of their family income and wealth. Even if low-income students and high-income students were borrowing the exact same amount for college, that debt is a far greater burden relative to their family wealth.”

So the next time Democrats complain about lower voter turnout, not just in 53206, but in any beleaguered neighborhood, they might think first about the policies, both old and new, that have served and continue to serve as stumbling blocks for black political participation.

"In today’s competitive economy, nothing is more important than getting a college education. Yet college tuition costs in the U.S. have been increasing at a breakneck pace, making college unaffordable for millions of Americans.”

The media giant Comcast touts diversity and inclusion as “a central element of our credo and our DNA.” So why is it asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hollow out a 153-year-old law against racial discrimination?

"Income is actually a somewhat imperfect way to judge whether or not a family is financially secure. The typical black family making $100,000 has a lot less wealth than the typical white family making $100,000."

“Folks who benefit from having fewer people participate are constantly looking for new ways to suppress turnout. [Voter purges] is one that seems to have become more popular.”