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>> Kim: THE DEATH OF GEORGE FLOYD, AHMAUD ARBERY, AND SO
FLOYD, AHMAUD ARBERY, AND SO
MANY OTHERS HAS PUT A RENEWED SPOTLIGHT ON RACIAL INJUSTICE.
SPOTLIGHT ON RACIAL INJUSTICE.
AND WHAT THEY SAY IS CRITICAL IN
IMPROVING RACE RELATIONS AND WHY
RAISING COLOR BLIND CHILDREN IS
A TERRIBLE IDEA.
YOU OFTEN HEAR PARENTS SAYING
THEY’RE RAISE THEIR CHILDREN TO
SEE ONLY ONE RACE, THE HUMAN
RACE.
BUT THOSE RACING BLACK AND BROWN
CHILDREN SAY IT’S NOT A GOOD
IDEA BECAUSE IT DISMISSES WHAT
ANY PERSON OF COLOR DEALS WITH.
MY CONVERSATION WITH THREE WOMEN
RAISING BLACK CHILDREN EXPLAINS
THAT AND TALK MORE ABOUT THE
CONVERSATIONS THEY BELIEVE WOULD
HELP RACE RELATIONS IN AMERICA.
>> I THINK A LOT OF MY FRIENDS
ARE AFRAID TO SAY OR THEY THINK
IT’S RIGHT TO SAY, I DON’T SEE
COLOR.
>> I JUST HAD THIS CONVERSATION
WITH MY 10-YEAR-OLD THIS MORNING
BECAUSE SHE DIDN’T UNDERSTAND
WHY IT WAS OFFENSIE.
SHE HAD FRIENDS TELL HER, I
DON’T SEE COLOR.
I SAID, HONEY, IT’S IMPORTANT
FOR THEM TO SEE YOU.
AND SHE -- AND IT’S A BEAUTIFUL
THING.
I THINK VERY STRONGLY THAT WHITE
PARENTS NEED TO HAVE
CONVERSATIONS WITH THEIR
CHILDREN ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO
HAVE A BLACK FRIEND, BECAUSE AS
MUCH AS WE ALL DON’T WANNA ADMIT
IT, OUR BLACK CHILDREN’S
RELATIONSHIP WITH LAW
ENFORCEMENT IS VERY DIFFERENT
THAN THEIRS.
SO THEY NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT
IF THEY’RE EVER RIDING THEIR
BIKE IN DOWNTOWN SUBURBAN MICHIGAN AND THE COPS APPROACH
MICHIGAN AND THE COPS APPROACH
THEM, THEY’RE NEVER TO LEAVE
THEIR BLACK FRIEND ALONE AND TO
ALWAYS HAVE A BUDDY SYSTEM.
I’M HAVING THESE CONVERSATIONS
WITH PARENTS OF MY SONS’
FRIENDS, BECAUSE I NEED TO FEEL
SAFE.
>> TO SAY THAT YOU DON’T SEE
COLOR IS ACTUALLY OFFENSIVE
BECAUSE YOU NEED TO ACKNOWLEDGE
THAT WE HAVE DIFFERENCES.
IT’S JUST IF THEY ARE RACIST
DIFFERENCES AND NOT
ACKNOWLEDGING OUR EXPERIENCE IN
THIS COUNTRY IS VERY DIFFERENT
THAN THAT OF A WHITE AMERICAN.
>> THE WHOLE IDEA OF WHITE
PRIVILEGE, IT’S OFFENSIVE TO A LOT OF WHITE PEOPLE.
LOT OF WHITE PEOPLE.
>> WHETHER IT’S PRIVILEGE OR THE
SYSTEMS THAT SUPPORT WHITE
PEOPLE THAT ARE DIFFERENT THAN
HOW THEY SUPPORT BLACK PEOPLE,
IF YOU’RE A DATA PERSON, YOU CAN
DIVE INTO THE DATA.
WE’RE 7 TIMES NOR LIKELY TO BE INCARCERATED AS AN ADULT.
INCARCERATED AS AN ADULT.
TWO TIMES MORE LIKELY TO HAVE A
HEALTH DISPARITY.
BLACK MOTHERS ARE AT MUCH GREATER RISK OF DYING DURING
GREATER RISK OF DYING DURING
CHILDBIRTH THAN WHITE
COUNTERPARTS.
IF YOU DON’T BELIEVE IT’S NOT
SET UP SYSTEMATICALLY, THEN YOU
DON’T UNDERSTAND IT.
SO YOU HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE IT.
AND I THINK UNDERSTANDING THAT,
MAYBE YOU DON’T BELIEVE YOU’VE
BENEFITED FROM WHITE PRIVILEGE
BUT THAT YOU HAVE NOT BEEN
BURDENED BY RACISM.
>> MY HUSBAND AND MY SON RAN
EVERY DAY UP UNTIL AHMAUD ARBERY
WAS MURDERED.
AND THEY STOPPED RUNNING BECAUSE
I ASKED THEM TO.
MY HUSBAND SAID, I’LL DO IT
BECAUSE I’LL BE WITH HIM.
AND I SAID, I WOULDN’T BE
COMFORTABLE WITH KNOWING YOU
BOTH ARE OUT THERE. SO HERE’S THE MESSAGE I WOULD
SO HERE’S THE MESSAGE I WOULD
LIKE TO RELAY IS THAT I DON’T
WANNA HEAR THAT WHITE PEOPLE ARE
UNCOMFORTABLE ANYMORE.
WE ARE LIVING IN DISCOMFORT EVERY DAY.
EVERY DAY.
IT’S NOT COMFORTABLE FOR US TO
TELL OUR 14-YEAR-OLD SON THAT
THEY CAPTAIN GO OUT AND BE
14-YEAR-OLD BOYS.
BECAUSE WE’RE LIVING IN THIS
VERY UNCOMFORTABLE TIME.
AND NOT JUST THIS TIME, BUT IT’S
BEEN UNCOMFORTABLE FOR A WHILE.
>> Kim: AND THE LAST INSTALLMENT
OF MY FOUR-PART CONVERSATION
AIRS TONIGHT AT 11:00.
THEY TALK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE
OF VOTING AND NOT JUST IN THE
BIG PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS BUT
LOCAL ELECTIONS AS WELL AND WHY
THIS MOMENT IS DIFFERENT THAN
OTHERS AND THEY’RE PROUD OF THE
WAY DETROIT IS HANDLING