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MPR News Staff

Intelligence Squared debate: Are identity politics a way to win?

The facade of the U.S. Capitol
The U.S. Capitol is seen on Dec. 21 in Washington, D.C. Georgia faces two runoff elections Tuesday, which will determine which party controls the Senate
Cheriss May | Getty Images file

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The public and pundits alike are still processing the most recent election, but this much we know: 2020 marks the most diverse Congress in American history, and President Donald Trump garnered more minority voters in 2020 than in 2016.

As Georgia faces two runoff elections Tuesday, which will determine which party controls the Senate, former Georgia state House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams and other voting-rights advocates have focused on identity politics as a way to prevail in the electoral process. Is it a winning strategy?

Michael Eric Dyson and John McWhorter, experts on race and identity in America, sit with Intelligence Squared host and moderator John Donvan to debate.

  • Michael Eric Dyson is an author, New York Times contributing opinion writer, contributing editor of The New Republic, and professor of sociology at Vanderbilt University.

  • John McWhorter is an author, host of Lexicon Valley, contributing writer at The Atlantic, and professor of linguistics at Columbia University.

Use the audio player above to listen to the program.