Tom Bradley and the Politics of Race

Tom Bradley was elected mayor of Los Angeles in 1973 with a broad coalition of Jews, Latinos, Asian-Americans and other liberal white voters. A new documentary about Bradley chronicles his life, as the son of Texas sharecroppers and grandson to slaves, to LA Police Lieutenant and, later, City Councilmember and Mayor. Alison Sotomayor co-produced the documentary Bridging the Divide: Tom Bradley and the Politics of Race. Lorraine Bradley is Bradley’s oldest daughter and a retired physical education teacher. And Sherry Bebitch Jeffe is professor of public policy at USC and a political analyst for numerous media outlets, and has studied and taught extensively about Bradley. They spoke to KCRW's Steve Chiotakis.