BIDEN PROMISE TO SOFTEN THE
TRUMP STANCE ON IMMIGRATION IS
AT LEAST CONTRIBUTING TO SOME OF
THIS.
LET’S TURN TO NEW COLLABORATION
FROM THE BOSTON UNIVERSITY
CENTER FOR ANTI-RACIST RESEARCH
AND THE BOSTON GLOBE OPINION
STAFF CALLED THE EMANCIPATOR
NAMED FOR A CENTURIES OLD
PERIODICAL.
THE GOAL OF THE NEW MEDIA
PLATFORM IS TO CHANGE THE
NATIONAL CONVERSATION ON RACIAL
JUSTICE.
>> THAT CALL FOR FREEDOM HAS
CONTINUED SINCE THE AMERICAN
REVOLUTION.
AND I THINK THAT CALL FOR
FREEDOM WILL CONTINUE TO ECHO IN
THE EMANCIPATOR.
>> BOSTON HAS SET A RICH AND
STORIED TRADITION WITH
NEWSPAPERS.
"THE BOSTON GLOBE" IS PART OF
THAT.
ALSO PART OF THAT IS THE
ANTI-SLAVERY NEWSPAPERS BASED
HERE IN THE 19th CENTURY AND
HELPED BRING ABOUT ABOLITION OF
SLAVERY IN THE UNITED STATES. >> AND THE TWO LEADERS OF THAT
>> AND THE TWO LEADERS OF THAT
PROJECT JOIN US NOW, BEENA VENCA
AND ENDIE, COEDITOR OF THE BOOK
TITLED "FOUR HUNDRED SOULS."
GENE ROBINSON IS BACK WITH US.
TELL ME ABOUT THIS INITIATIVE
FROM YOU AND IBRAM AND FROM
BOSTON UNIVERSITY AND THE BOSTON
GLOBE.
WHAT IS THE OBJECTIVE HERE?
>> THE IDEA HERE IS TO RESURRECT
AND REIMAGINE THE POWERFUL
ABOLITIONIST ERA NEWSPAPERS THAT
IN THE 19th CENTURY HELPED
PROVIDE A PLATFORM FOR VOICES,
IMPORTANT DEBATES, IMPORTANT
THINKING ON ABOLITION AND THE
END OF SLAVERY IN THE UNITED
STATES.
DO THAT IN THE 21st CENTURY FOR
THE CONVERSATIONS THAT NEED TO
BE HAD ON RACIAL JUSTICE.
AND WE SEE THIS AS A REFRAMING
FROM A LOT OF THE DEBATES THAT
ARE HAPPENING IN OPINION
SECTIONS OF NEWS ORGANIZATIONS
TODAY, WHICH IS TO SAY INSTEAD
OF ASKING THE QUESTION OF
WHETHER THERE’S A PROBLEM WITH
RACISM IN THIS COUNTRY OR
WHETHER WE SHOULD DO SOMETHING
ABOUT IT, WE’RE SHIFTING OVER TO
SAY, ACTUALLY, LET’S ACCEPT THAT
WE HAVE A PROBLEM AND THAT WE
OUGHT TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT
AND THAT IT’S AN URGENT PROBLEM
AND IT’S BEEN AN URGENT PROBLEM
FOR A HUNDRED YEARS IN THIS
COUNTRY.
AND LET’S SHIFT IT TO HOW DO WE
SOLVE THAT PROBLEM?
WHAT ARE THE IMPORTANT
CONVERSATIONS?
WHAT ARE THE SOLUTIONS?
WHAT IS THE SCHOLARSHIP,
IMPORTANTLY, AND THAT’S WHY
WE’RE PARTNERING WITH BOSTON
UNIVERSITY ON THIS THAT CAN
INFORM A ROBUST DEBATE AND
CONVERSATION THAT URGES US
TOWARDS THAT SOCIETY.
>> GENE ROBINSON, THE NEXT
QUESTION.
>> QUESTION FOR IBRAM.
AS YOU IMAGINE THE EMANCIPATOR,
WHAT DO YOU IMAGINE IT COVERING?
FOR EXAMPLE, WOULD THE
EMANCIPATOR ALSO COVER THE RISE
IN ANTI-ASIAN AMERICAN VIOLENCE
AS PART OF THE CRUSADE AGAINST
RACISM?
WOULD IT -- OR WOULD IT BE MORE
ABOUT IDEAS AND EVENTS?
HOW DO YOU SEE IT GOING FORWARD?
>> WELL, ACTUALLY, I SEE IT ALL
OF THE ABOVE.
THERE ARE MANY FORMS OF RACISM.
THERE’S CERTAINLY ANTI-RACISM,
AND WE’RE REELING FROM THAT AS
AMERICANS.
THERE’S ANTI-BLACK, ANTI-NATIVE,
ANTI-LATINEX, THERE’S SCHOLARS
STUDYING WHITENESS.
BUT THEN THERE’S THE
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RACISM AND
SEXISM WHICH, OF COURSE, WE’RE
TALKING ABOUT IN LIEU OF WHAT
HAPPENED WITH THE ATLANTA AREA
SHOOTINGS.
THERE’S THIS RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN RACISM AND HOE MOW
PHOBIA, RACISM AND TRANSPHOBIA.
THERE ARE SO MANY RACIAL
DISPARITIES AND INEQUITIES, IN
HOUSING, IN THE ECONOMY, IN
CRIMINAL JUSTICE, IN THE
ENVIRONMENT.
THERE’S SO MUCH GROUND THAT
COULD BE COVERED JUST AS THERE
WAS SO MUCH GROUND THAT COULD BE
COVERED IN THE 19th CENTURY AS
RELATED TO SLAVERY, WHICH IS WHY
YOU HAVE SO MANY EDITORS FEELING
AS IF THEY NEEDED A PLATFORM TO
DO SO.
>> BEENA, AS YOU KNOW, THE
ELEMENTS OF RACISM EXIST IN
BOSTON AS WELL AS EVERY OTHER
MAYS IN THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA TODAY.
BOSTON IS NOT ALONE IN THAT.
BUT ONE OF THE ELEMENTS IS
GIVING PEOPLE OF COLOR AND OTHER
MINORITIES ACCESS TO THINGS THAT
ARE SO EASILY AVAILABLE WITHIN
15 MILES OF BOSTON.
WITHIN FIVE MILES OF THE CORE OF
BOSTON.
ACCESS TO SUPER MARKETS, ACCESS
TO BANK BRANCHES, ACCESS TO
HEALTH CARE.
AND IN BOSTON, IT WAS ONLY
RELATIVELY EARLY OR RELATIVELY A
LITTLE WHILE AGO IN TERMS OF THE WAY WE MEASURE HISTORY THAT
WAY WE MEASURE HISTORY THAT
PLACES LIKE ROCKS BURY, HOMEXBUR
ACCESS.
SO WHAT DOES THIS THAT YOU’RE
DOING WITH DR. KENNEDY, WHAT
DOES THIS DO TO ENHANCE ELEMENTS
OF SQUAWK ACCESS TO THINGS THAT
OTHER COMMUNITIES TAKE FOR
GRANTED?
>> I’M SO GLAD YOU BROUGHT THAT
UP.
BECAUSE BOSTON DOES HAVE SUCH A
MIXED HISTORY AND REPUTATION
WHEN IT COMES TO RACIAL JUSTICE.
CERTAINLY PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT OUR
SPORTS FANS YELLING SLURS AT
ATHLETES OF COLOR FROM OTHER
TEAMS, PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT THE
HISTORY OF BUSING AND HOUSING
DISCRIMINATION IN THE CITY.
BUT PEOPLE TEND TO FORGET AND
DRAW LESS ON SOME OF THE
POWERFUL HISTORY THAT HAS
HAPPENED HERE.
THIS REALLY WAS THE HOT BED OF
THE ABOLITIONIST MOVEMENT IN THE
20th CENTURY FOR THE NATION.
AND, OF COURSE, MASSACHUSETTS
BANNED ENSLAVEMENT BEFORE THE
TREATY OF PARIS WAS SIGNED FOR
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.
SO WHAT WE’RE TRYING TO DO IS
PULL THAT THREAD OF HISTORY OF
BOSTON AND ADDRESS THESE
PROBLEMS AND PULL IT INTO THE
PRINT.
AND I’M SO GLAD YOU BROUGHT UP
ACCESS.
ONE OF THE THINGS I THINK WE CAN
DO FOR A PROJECT LIKE THIS IS
DRAW ON DATA AND DRAW ON
SCHOLARSHIP TO RESHAPE
NARRATIVES.
SO ONE OF THOSE NARRATIVES THAT
YOU’VE BEEN SEEING A LOT IS
THERE IS VACCINE HESITANCY AMONG
COMMUNITIES TO HAVE COLOR,
PEOPLE OF COLOR.
IF YOU START TO UN-BEALE THAT
AND IF YOU BRING IN DATA
SOURCES, ACTUALLY, BLACK PEOPLE
ARE NO MORE LIKELY TO BE
HESITANT ABOUT COVID-19 VACCINES
THAN WHILE PEOPLE.
THEN YOU START TO ASK DIFFERENT
QUESTIONS AND YOU ASK IS THIS
ABOUT HESITANCY OR ACCESS TO
BASIC HEALTH CARE?
IS IT ABOUT TRUST AND HEALTH
CARE BECAUSE OF THE HISTORIC
LEGACY OF NOT HAVING THAT
ACCESS?
DO YOU TALK ABOUT THE ISSUE THAT