>>> WELCOME BACK TO "MORNING
JOE."
A NUMBER OF FILMS AND TELEVISION
SHOWS THAT TOUCH ON RACE HAVE
SEEN A BIG UPTICK ON VIEWERSHIP
SINCE GEORGE FLOYD’S DEATH
SPARKED CIVIL UNREST IN OUR
COUNTRY.
THE NETFLIX SERIES "DEAR WHITE
PEOPLE" HAS SEEN A 39% INCREASE.
JUSTIN, IT’S GREAT TO HAVE YOU
WITH US THIS MORNING.
AS I SAID, THERE’S BEEN A LOT OF
THIS.
THE DOCUMENTARY "13th" HAS SEEN
A BIG SPIKE, KERRY WASHINGTON’S
SHOW.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE UPTICK?
I IMAGINE IT HAS TO BE
BITTERSWEET, BUT AT LEAST YOU
HAVE TO BE CONFLICTED ABOUT IT.
A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE SEEING IT,
BUT THEY’RE SEEING IT FOR
TERRIBLE REASONS IN THIS
COUNTRY.
>> YEAH.
IT’S AN ODD FEELING.
IT’S LIKE WE’VE BEEN SPEAKING
ABOUT THESE ISSUES FOR SO LONG.
REALLY, THE BEGINNING OF MY
CAREER IS MARKED BY FINDING A
WAY TO TELL PEOPLE ABOUT THESE
ISSUES AND SO THERE IS A SENSE
OF LIKE, FINALLY, PEOPLE ARE
PAYING ATTENTION AND IT ALSO,
YOU KNOW, THERE’S SOMETHING NICE
ABOUT IT AS AN ARTIST, I’VE MADE
SOMETHING THAT CAN MEET THIS
MOMENT.
BUT AS I SAID, THE CIRCUMSTANCES
ARE DEVASTATING.
>> SO JUSTIN, FOR PEOPLE WHO
HAVEN’T SEEN THE SERIES, "DEAR
WHITE PEOPLE," JUST LAY IT OUT A
LITTLE BIT.
OTHER PEOPLE, IF THEY’RE NOT
PART OF THIS 329% NETFLIX
INCREASE IN VIEWERSHIP, THEY
WOULD BE INTERESTED TO CHECK IT
OUT.
>> YEAH.
COME ON IN, THE WATER IS WARM.
THE DEAR WHITE PEOPLE IS NOT AS
AGGRESSIVE AS ONE MIGHT THINK. BUT IT’S BASICALLY ABOUT A GROUP
BUT IT’S BASICALLY ABOUT A GROUP
OF BLACK STUDENTS WHO ATTEND A
MOSTLY WHITE COLLEGE.
ONE OF THEM HAS A RADIO SHOW
WHERE SHE CALLS OUT
MICROAGGRESSIONS.
AND THE REACTION TO THAT SHOW
"DEAR WHITE PEOPLE" IS WIND KIND
OF WHAT THE SERIES UNTANGLES.
WE FOLLOW THESE DIFFERENT BLACK
KIDS WHO SIT AT DIFFERENT
INTERSECTIONS OF GAY AND BLACK
OR FEMALE AND BLACK OR SOMETHING
ELSE.
AND WE KIND OF EXPLORE WHAT THAT
EXPERIENCE IS IN A COMEDIC WAY.
>> SO I’M CURIOUS.
FIRST OF ALL, I THINK IT WOULD
BE GREAT IF YOU COULD GIVE US A
FEW EXAMPLE OWESS OF WHAT
MICROAGGRESSIONS ARE AND WHAT
IMPACT THEY HAVE ON PEOPLE AND
ALSO WITH THIS JUMP IN
ENGAGEMENT, MIGHT THERE BE AN
INTUNT OPPORTUNITY?
IF SO, WHAT IS IT?
>> TO ME, THE OPPORTUNITY OF THE
SHOW HAS ALWAYS BEEN TO START A
CONVERSATION.
IT’S NOT ABOUT BLAMING OR SAYING
THAT ONE GROUP OF PEOPLE IS
WRONG OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
THE WHOLE POINT OF IT IS THAT
THESE KIDS WHO ARE BLACK AND
ATTEND A SCHOOL WHERE EVERYONE
IS VERY LIBERAL AND VERY WHITE,
WHAT THEY’RE TRYING TO SAY IS
THEY’RE HAVING AN EXPERIENCE
THAT, YOU KNOW, THE MAJORITY OF
THIS CAMPUS MAY NOT BE
CONSIDERING.
MAYBE IT DOESN’T LOOK LIKE THE
RACISM THAT YOU LEARNED ABOUT IN
HISTORY CLASS, BUT WE ARE
EXPERIENCING RACISM AND WE CAN’T
SORT OF DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT BY
OURSELVES.
WE NEED SOME ATTENTION ON THESE
ISSUES WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT I
THINK IS KIND OF HAPPENING AT
THE MOMENT.
AND, YOU KNOW, EXAMPLES OF
MICROAGGRESSIONS, IT MEANS
ANYTHING FROM REMINDING PEOPLE
THAT IT’S NOT OKAY TO TOUCH MY
HAIR TO POINTING OUT THE WAYS IN
WHICH AFTER TRAGIC EVENTS LIKE
THIS, YOU KNOW, VIRTUAL
SIGNALING, FOR INSTANCE, OR, YOU
KNOW, BEING CALLED MULTIPLE
TIMES TO BE ASKED IF I’M OKAY,
LIKE JUST SORT OF EXPLAINING
THAT SOME OF THESE EXPERIENCES
ARE -- YOU KNOW, YOU MIGHT BE
INADVERTENTLY AFFECTING BLACK
FOLKS IN A NEGATIVE WAY.
>> SO TWO QUESTIONS AGAIN.
WHAT IS THE BEST REACTION TO A
MICROAGGRESSION?
ESPECIALLY IF YOU FEEL THE
PERSON HAS A GOOD HEART, BUT IS
TOTALLY SCREWED UP?
THAT WOULD BE THE FIRST ONE.
I’LL LET YOU ANSWER THAT.
>> WELL, I DON’T -- I DON’T KNOW
THAT THERE’S SUCH THING AS A
BEST REACTION.
I THINK PEOPLE RIGHT NOW ARE
MAKING SPACE TO FEEL --
>> WHAT IS THE MOST CONSTRUCTIVE
WAY TO COMMUNICATE IN THE FACE
OF A MICROAGGRESSION?
>> WELL, AGAIN, I THINK THAT AT
THIS TIME, BECAUSE BLACK FOLKS
ARE, FOR THE REALLY FIRST TIME
THAT I CAN THINK OF, ARE REALLY
DEMANDING SPACE TO HAVE THE
REACTIONS THAT WE NEED TO HAVE.
SO I DON’T KNOW.
I MEAN, FOR ME, FOR ME, LIKE,
IT’S -- I -- I LIKE TO RESPOND
WITH COMPASSION AND I LIKE TO
SORT OF MEET PEOPLE WHERE
THEY’RE AT AND, YOU KNOW, THAT’S
THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF WHY I DO
WHAT I DO AS AN AN ARTIST.
BUT IF SOMEBODY HAS A MAYBE NOT
TO COMPASSIONATE REACTION, I
THINK RIGHT NOW THAT MIGHT BE
ALL RIGHT.
>> SO, JUSTIN, IT’S BEEN
INTERESTING TO HEAR PEOPLE
INTERPRET THROUGH THEIR OWN
LENSES WHAT THEY’RE SEEING IN
THE STREETS OVER THE LAST THREE
WEEKS, WHAT ALL THIS ENERGY
MEANS, ALL THIS MULTI RACIAL,
MULTI GENERATIONAL ENERGY MEANS
AND WHETHER OR NOT IT MEANS THAT
THIS TIME IS DIFFERENT AND THE
COUNTRY REALLY IS CHANGING THIS
TIME.
WHAT DO YOU SEE IN ALL THAT
PASSION AND THAT ENERGY IN THE
STREETS?
>> MAN, I SEE A LOT OF PENT UP
EXPRESSION.
THESE ARE, AGAIN, THINGS THAT I
THINK PLAYBOOK FOLKS HAVE BEEN
SAYING AND YOU SEE PEOPLE WAKING
UP TO THE FACT THAT, WOW, EVEN
THOUGH I THOUGHT I WAS ONE OF
THE GOOD ONES, I WAS ON THE GOOD
SIDE OF THIS, I HAVE TO -- THERE
ARE SOME AREAS OF THE BLACK
EXPERIENCE THAT HAVE FALLEN INTO
MY BLIND SPOTS.
WHAT WE’RE SEEING IS THE
NECESSARY OUTRAGE THAT HAS TO
COME WHEN A PERSON REALIZES
THAT.
EVERY BLACK PERSON, PERSON OF
COLOR, MARGINALIZED PERSON IN
THIS COUNTRY AT SOME POINT HAS
TO GO THROUGH THIS CYCLE OF
OUTRAGE WHERE WE REALIZE, OH, MY
GOD, THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING.
THIS IS BAKED INTO THE SYSTEM.
WHITE PEOPLE DON’T NECESSARILY
HAVE TO HAVE THAT MOMENT.
YOU CAN GO THROUGH YOUR LIFE AS
AN AMERICAN CITIZEN AND NEVER
ENCOUNTER THAT FEELING.
AND RIGHT NOW, WE’RE JUST
FEELING A SURGE OF PEOPLE
ENCOUNTERING THAT FEELING FOR
THE FIRST TIME.
AND IT’S TERRIFYING AND
BEWILDERING, BUT ALSO EXCITING
BECAUSE IT DOES FEEL NEW.
IT DOES FEEL LIKE MAYBE WE CAN
DO SOMETHING THIS TIME THAT WE
WEREN’T ABLE TO DO BEFORE.
>> WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE MANY
MORE OF THESE CONVERSATIONS.
THE CREATOR OF THE NETFLIX
SERIES "DEAR WHITE PEOPLE"