South Carolina Congressman Jim Clyburn, one of the most influential voices in American politics, joins us for a conversation about history, hope, and the work of building a more just democracy — in honor of his new book, The First Eight: A Personal History of the Pioneering Black Congressman Who Shaped a Nation.

Clyburn made history as the first Black congressman from South Carolina since 1897 and went on to serve as Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus and House Majority Whip. His endorsement of Joe Biden ahead of the 2020 South Carolina primary is widely credited with reshaping the Democratic race, and in 2024, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his decades of leadership and his steadfast defense of democracy and truth.

In The First Eight, Clyburn brings to life the stories of South Carolina’s first eight Black congressmen — visionary leaders who rose in the aftermath of the Civil War before the onset of Jim Crow. Their legacy, he writes, connects directly to the present.