In this talk, T*d traces his family’s American journey from slavery to the White House, where he served as a White House Fellow and Navy Commander. Centered on the history of his full name, Th*odore Roosevelt J*hnson III, he shares the optimism in America held by his great-grandparents, despite their living and raising a family in Jim Crow South Carolina. In this inspirational talk filled with humor, hard truths, and historical vignettes, T*d demonstrates how a family’s faith in the American project sustained it for more than a century until the dream of sharecroppers finally became reality more than a century later.

Based on his acclaimed first book, When the Stars Begin to Fall: Overcoming Racism and Renewing the Promise of America, T*d outlines how the Black America experience serves as a model for the multiracial solidarity the country needs to address structural racism. A work of history, political science, and sociology – with memoir mixed in – T*d merges the academic with the practical to offer a prescription for making the Union a little more perfect.

The voting behavior of Black Americans is arguably the defining feature of 21st American politics. T*d’s doctoral work investigated why Black people have overwhelmingly supported one party ever since the end of Civil War – first the Republican Party and now the Democratic Party. And he researched under what conditions this state of affairs may change. It is a story packed with insights that have eluded many pundits and strategists and helps us all understand contemporary American politics and elections.