NOW I BELIEVE THEY ARE OUR ONLY
CHANCE.
>> ALL RIGHT, STEVE, RECURRING
THEME, WE HAVE TO HAVE DIFFICULT
CONVERSATIONS ABOUT RACE THIS
CAN BE A HARD THING TO DO.
CAN BE SCARY, CAN BE
INTIMIDATING FOR SOME FACING A
FEW THROUGH THE TRUTHS WE WOULD
RATHER NOT.
QUESTION IS, HOW DO WE START.
>> LET’S HAVE A CONVERSATION
ABOUT ENGAGING WHITE PEOPLE IN THE RACE CONVERSATION.
THE RACE CONVERSATION.
JOINED BY SHEILA COCKRELL AND
ROBSON.
THAT IS WHERE REAL PROGRESS IS
GOING TO BE MADE, ISN’T IT?
NOT AN AMONG PEOPLE THAT TALK
ABOUT RACE ALL THE TIME.
WE HAVE TO ENGAGE PEOPLE THAT
DON’T.
>> RIGHT.
EVEN PEOPLE THAT DON’T TALK
ABOUT RACE.
UNDERSTANDING WHITE PRIVILEGE
AND SYSTEMIC INSTITUTIONAL
RACISM BIGGER THAN HAVING THE
CONVERSATIONS ABOUT RACE THAN WE
HAVE IN THE PAST.
IT IS A HARD CONVERSATION, I
THINK FOR WHITE FOLKS TO HAVE.
YOU HAVE PEOPLE WHO AREN’T
SUCCESSFUL.
I AM WORKING TWO JOBS.
HAVING THE STRUCTURAL
CONVERSATION.
>> I KNOW SHE FEELS IF IT IS
COMFORTABLE.
IT IS NOT GOING ANYWHERE.
>> IT HAS TO BE DIFFICULT
CONVERSATION.
IT IS NOT A CONVERSATION TOO
OFTEN WHITE FOLKS WERE THINKING
WE WERE ASKING THEM TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY BECAUSE THAT WAS
RESPONSIBILITY BECAUSE THAT WAS
MY GREAT, GREAT,
GREAT-GRANDFATHER.
IT IS LESS ABOUT THAT AND WHAT
THINGS HAVE YOU BENEFITTED THAT
MAY HAVE HAPPENED FROM YOUR
GREAT-GREAT-GREAT GRANDFATHER SO
WE ARE NOT LOOKING FOR AN
APOLOGY FOR THINGS THAT ARE
GOING TO HAPPEN 50 YEARS FROM
NOW.
>> IT IS THE ACHILLES HEEL OF
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
UNEXAMINED STRUCTURAL RACISM
THAT IMPACTED EVERYONE.
THERE IS INVESTMENT THAT NEEDS
TO BE MADE BECAUSE IT IS
REQUIRED.
>> IT FEELS NUCLEAR TO A LOT OF
WHITE PEOPLE.
WHY SHOULD I GET THIS THAT
CONVERSATION? >> A LOT OF HISTORY LEARNING.
>> A LOT OF HISTORY LEARNING.
WHAT WERE WE TAUGHT ABOUT
RECONSTRUCTION AND JIM CROW
AFTER THE CIVIL WAR?
>> SO ZERO TOLERANCE WE HAVE
ARRIVED AT, IS THAT WOULD YOU
SAY IT IS ABOUT TIME?
OR GOING TOO FAR?
>> ZERO TOLERANCE FOR THE N
WORD.
I HAVE ENFORCED THAT, SHE AND
FRIENDS BLACK AND WHITE.
THAT TERM IS NOT GOING TO BE USED IN MY CAR, IN MY PRESENCE.
USED IN MY CAR, IN MY PRESENCE.
I DON’T CONDONE THE NOTION OF
THERE IS -- NOBODY SHOULD USE
IT.
IT HAS A PARTICULAR HISTORY.
>> I AGREE WITH SHEILA.
TOO WEIGHTED OF A WORD FOR
PEOPLE TO USE IT IN EDUCATIONAL
SENSE.
THERE IS GOING TO BE QUESTIONING
WHY YOU NEEDED TO USE THE WORD
IN ORDER TO GET YOUR POINT
ACROSS.
>> I WONDER ABOUT THE CHILLING
EFFECT ON OTHER PEOPLE. WHETHER THEY THINK THEY OUGHT TO
WHETHER THEY THINK THEY OUGHT TO
BE WADING IN OR SIT OUT.
WHEN WHITE PEOPLE SIT OUT, THAT
IS WHERE WE ARE.
>> FOR WHITE FOLKS WHEN SOMEBODY
IN YOUR PRESENCE STARTS WITH
SOME OF THE STEREO TYPICAL
LANGUAGE SAY I DON’T WANT TO
HEAR IT.
DON’T TALK LIKE THAT IN FRONT OF
ME TO GET TO THE POINT OF BEING
WILLING TO ACKNOWLEDGE YOU ARE
HEARING RACIST LANGUAGE AND YOU
ARE NOT GOING TO GIVE IT A SLY,
A PASS IS A HUGE STEP.
WE HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO.
WE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THESE
ISSUES A LONG TIME.
THINGS MOVE FORWARD AND BACK.
I THINK WE ARE GOING TO GO
FORWARD AND GO BACK.
WE SAW BARACK OBAMA AND THEN WE
HAD DONALD TRUMP.
FOUR STEPS FORWARD, TWO STEPS
BACK, WE HAVE TO TAKE SIX
FORWARD.
I AGAIN THINK THESE
CONVERSATIONS ARE ABOUT HOW DO
WE GET ALONG INDIVIDUALLY, IT IS
THE LARGER CONVERSATION ABOUT GETTING WHITE FOLKS TO REALIZE
GETTING WHITE FOLKS TO REALIZE
HOW THEY HAVE BENEFITTED FROM
STRUCTUREAL THINGS AND CONTINUES
TO BENEFIT WAYS THEY MAY NOT BE
CONSCIOUS.
>> SO MUCH MORE WITH MY