Zerlina Maxwell
The End of White Politics
In the 2020 race, with the most diverse presidential candidates of our time having run in the primary elections, The End of White Politics dismantles the past and present problems of the Left—challenging the discriminatory agendas of the “Bernie Bros” and centrist thinkers like Joe Biden—to address the liberal framework that has traditionally focused on the white (and specifically male) working class. The biggest issue, Maxwell argues, is that America’s “liberal-minded” party still struggles to engage communities of color, even though the population majority will be non-white by 2045. Historically public policies, even those enlisted by the Left, have valued certain people’s needs over others and there remains a one-sided representation at the top. But times are changing.
Ultimately, in a page-turning analysis, Maxwell skillfully examines how progressives can use factors that Trump exploited during his rise to power in 2016 to heal the liberal divide. A gradual transition of power over to marginalized groups has created a shift and a growing demand for equity across all areas of American life, which is the central tension in American politics in the Trump era. Instead of turning away, progressives can lean into identity politics to unite in a common vision—and make progressive politics into a winning movement. Everyone after the 2016 presidential election has shared their “analysis” of what went wrong and what went right for liberals. Everyone is wrong . . . but the answers are staring us right in the face.
About Zerlina
Zerlina is the Senior Director of Progressive Programming for SiriusXM. She is the co-host of the award winning radio show Signal Boost on SiriusXM. She is the author of the book The End of White Politics: How to Heal Our Liberal Divide (Hatchette, July 2020).
She is an MSNBC Political Analyst, a speaker, and writer for a variety of national media outlets. Her writing focuses on national politics, candidates, and specific policy and culture issues including race, feminism, domestic violence, sexual assault, victim blaming and gender inequality.
She was formerly the Director of Progressive Media for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. She worked in the campaign’s press shop pitching coverage to progressive media outlets and curating daily messaging for online influencers. She also acted as a campaign spokesperson for the Presidential Debates.
Zerlina is one of the most influential speakers and writers on the issues of campus sexual assault and rape culture in the United States.
In 2016, Zerlina joined pop superstar Lady Gaga on stage at the 88th annual Academy Awards as part of a special performance of her nominated smash, “Til’ It Happens to You” from the film The Hunting Ground. Zerlina has been profiled in the New York Times as a top political twitter voice to follow during the 2012 election season and she was selected by TIME as one of the best Twitter feeds in 2014.
In 2015, Zerlina was also one of five journalists invited to travel on Air Force One with President Obama on his trip to Selma for the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. She has a law degree from Rutgers Law School–Newark and a B.A. in International Relations from Tufts University.