.
. I'M
. I'M JUST TRYING TO I GUESS BE REALLY HONEST.
I WAS KIND OF RAISED, YOU KNOW,
TO BE ATTRACTED TO THEM.
WE PICK UP THE STORY OF STEVE,
THE MAN FROM RENTON WHO
ADMITTED TO HIMSELF AND TO US
HE'S RACIST.
STEVE HAS BEEN TRYING TO MAKE
THINGS RIGHT WITH HIS DAUGHTER
WHO IS HALF BLACK KING-SIZE
KRISTEN ERHUS HAS BEEN
FOLLOWING STEVE FOR MONTHS NOW
AND TONIGHT STEVE ASKS A
QUESTION THAT WE HAVE HEARD
MANY OTHER WHITE PEOPLE ASK US
AS WE'VE EXPLORED ISSUES AROUND
RACE OVER THE PAST SEVERAL
MONTHS.
BASICALLY HOW LONG WILL WHITE
AMERICANS BE BLAMED FOR RACISM?
I KNOW THAT THAT I'M RACIST AND
I DON'T WANT TO BE I DON'T MEAN
TO BE I'M TRYING NOT TO BE.
STEVE RAYMIE IS COMING TO TERMS
WITH WHAT IT MEANS TO BE RACIST
AND HOW IT'S HURTING HIS FAMILY
,INCLUDING HIS BIRACIAL
DAUGHTER CAITLYN NOBLE FOR
MONTHS WE'VE BEEN FOLLOWING
STEVE I DO SAY RACIST STUFF A
LOT OF IS OUT OF HUMOR.
HE DIDN'T REALIZE HOW MUCH HIS
JOKES WERE HURTING CAITLYN HOW
DOES IT MAKE YOU FEEL?
UNCOMFORTABLE AND ANGRY BUT
WITH THE HELP OF A LOCAL RACE
EDUCATOR CARINA HOOKE'S I WOULD
OFFER THERE'S NOTHING FUNNY
ABOUT STEVE HAS JUST MADE
PROGRESS AND YOU KNOW, I THINK
IT'S FUNNY.
YES.
AND WHY IS MORE SO AND WHY YOU
THINK IT'S OK?
STEVE THOUGHT WOULD BE
RELATIVELY EASY TO STOP BEING
RACIST.
I'M GOING TO TELL YOU A COUPLE
OF THINGS THAT MAY BE HARD TO
HEAR.
HE'S ABOUT TO LEARN THAT RACISM
DOESN'T STOP WITH TELLING OFF
COLOR JOKES AND TONIGHT HE
PUSHES BACK BECAUSE IT JUST
FEELS LIKE EVERYTHING IS WHITE
PEOPLE WELL OVER HOURS
OF COUNSELING STEVE AND CAITLYN
KAARINA HOOKE'S ARE STARTING TO
GET TO THE ROOT OF THEIR RACE
ISSUES FOR CAITLYN IT'S
DISCOVERING HER IDENTITY AS A
BLACK WOMAN RAISED BY WHITE
PARENTS.
HOW DOES SHE GET TO STEP INTO
HER BEAUTY AND HER EXCELLENCE
AND FIND HER VOICE AND STILL
HOLD ON TO THE RELATIONSHIP SHE
VALUES SO DEARLY WITH HER
FAMILY?
IT'S HARD TO DO WHEN HER OWN
DAD DOESN'T GET IT.
HE DOESN'T ABOUT THE LIKE HE
DOESN'T SEE COLOR KIND OF THING
WE ALL SEE COLOR UNLESS WE'RE
COLOR BLIND.
I DO SEE THE COLOR AND I GUESS
WHAT I'M SAYING THAT I DON'T
SEE COLORS.
I'M NOT JUDGING A PERSON BY
THEIR COLOR BUT YOU UNDERSTAND
THAT PEOPLE ARE JUDGED BY THEIR
COLOR.
YES.
COLOR. YES. CAN I EXPLAIN?
I'M CAITLYN HAS BEEN QUIET BUT
NOW SHE WANTS TO LAY OUT WHAT'S
WRONG WITH HER DAD NOT SEEING
HER COLOR.
IT MEANS THAT IF YOU SEE ARE
THEN YOU DON'T SEE HER
EXPERIENCES AND WHAT WE GO
THROUGH AS A COLORED PERSON
MEANING YOU DON'T SEE HER LIKE
THAT LIKE THE STUFF WE GO
THROUGH BASED ON OUR COLOR THAT
WE GO THROUGH JUST BECAUSE
OF OUR COLOR.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE IDENTITIES
THAT YOU HOLD?
OK, WHITE FOUR IDENTITIES HE
LISTS HE'S WHITE, HE'S MALE,
HE'S A FATHER AND HE'S OVER
SIXTY.
BUT IF YOU WERE TO GET RID
OF THREE OF THEM WHICH THREE
WOULD IT BE AND GETTING RID
OF WHITE THAT DON'T MAKE SENSE.
I WOULDN'T WANT TO GIVE UP THE
WHITE PART BECAUSE I DON'T WANT
TO BE TREATED THE WAY THAT
WHITE PEOPLE TREAT PEOPLE WITH
STEVE .
IT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE THERE
IS KIND OF I DON'T UNDERSTAND.
HELP ME UNDERSTAND.
AND AT THE SAME TIME WHEN I ASK
A QUESTION LIKE WHAT PART
OF YOUR IDENTITY WOULD YOU GIVE
UP?
AND HE RESPONDED WELL I WOULD
LIKE TO GIVE UP BEING A WHITE
MAN BUT I KNOW THE
CONSEQUENCES.
WHAT HE DOES THOUGH IS THAT
IT'S BETTER TO BE WHITE THAN IT
IS TO BE BLACK IN THIS COUNTRY
FOR THE FIRST TIME STEVE IS
FORCED TO FACE WHAT THAT WILL
MEAN FOR CAITLYN WHEN CAITLYN
STEPS OUT OF THE HOME INTO THE
WORLD SHE IS JUDGED BASED ON
HER COLOR AND THERE ARE SOME
ASSUMPTIONS THAT PEOPLE WILL
MAKE JUST BY THE COLOR OF HER
SKIN.
IF I MAKE A JUDGMENT BASED ON
WHAT
BEEN
BEEN CONDITIONED TO KNOW WE'VE BEEN TAUGHT THAT THEN THAT MUST MEAN WE'RE A BAD
PERSON VERSUS SAYING OH I'VE
BEEN CONDITIONED TO BELIEVE
LIKE BLACK IS BAD.
I'VE BEEN CONDITIONED TO
BELIEVE THAT BLACK PEOPLE
SHOULD JUST WORK HARDER AND SO
NOW THAT I KNOW I'VE BEEN
CONDITIONED IN THAT WAY LET ME
WORK TO COUNTERACT THAT
NARRATIVE WHEN YOU PUT IT IN
THAT ANGLE.
YES.
EVERY PERSON THAT WALKS UP
WE'RE GOING TO JUDGE IF THEY
ARE SAFER.
THEY'RE NOT PEOPLE ALL THE TIME
WILL SAY I DON'T SEE COLOR BUT
YEAH, I DON'T GO OVER THERE
WITH A BLACK PEOPLE ARE A
CONTRADICTION.
IT FEELS LIKE WHEN IT FEELS
LIKE THAT NOW THAT YOU'VE SAID
IT THAT WAY THAT I AM USING
THAT AS AN EXCUSE TO BE RACIST.
I GUESS IT IS IT JUST FEELS
LIKE EVERYTHING IS WHITE PEOPLE
.
YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?
I CAN'T BE ALONE IN THINKING
THAT YOU'RE NOT.
SO HOW LONG DO I GOT TO FEEL
GUILTY FOR HOW MY ANCESTORS
TREATED THE WHOLE RACE
OF PEOPLE?
YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?
AND THEN ALSO HOW LONG WAS THAT
RACE GOING TO HOLD IT AGAINST
ME?
I'M NOT A GUILT SHAME BLAME
TYPE OF PRACTITIONER SO I WOULD
SAY GUILT AND SHAME AND ALL
OF THAT DOES NOTHING TO FORWARD
OUR HUMANITY OR OUR WORK IN
THIS AREA.
I'M JUST GOING TO REFRAME YOUR
QUESTION EVEN THOUGH IT WAS
DIFFERENT HOW LONG AM I
RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT I
INHERITED?
AND I WOULD SAY THAT UNTIL YOUR
DAUGHTER IS ABLE TO HAVE
EQUITABLE ACCESS TO HOUSING,
HEALTH CARE, EDUCATION, I WILL
SAY IN YOUR LIFETIME THE WORK
WILL NOT BE DONE.
NO, I WOULD SAY IN YOUR
LIFETIME THE WORK WILL NOT BE
DONE BUT WHAT WE CAN COMMIT TO
IS AN ACTIVE PRACTICE DAILY
THAT MAKES SURE THAT YOUR
DAUGHTER CAITLIN AND THE
CAITLIN OF THE WORLD ARE ABLE
TO BE SEEN DEEPER THAN THE
COLOR OF ONE'S SKIN TOMORROW
STEVE AND CAITLIN ARE READY TO
START HAVING THE DIFFICULT
CONVERSATIONS ABOUT RACE ON
THEIR OWN BUT IT WON'T EXACTLY
BE EASY TO SIT IN A ROOM IN THE
KITCHEN OR SOMETHING.
AND I WENT SO HOW'S IT FEEL TO
BE BLACK OR SHUT UP?
I SAID I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO ASK
NO CHRIS IN THESE CONVERSATIONS
THEY'RE NOT EASY ONES TO HAVE
BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE CAITLIN AND
HER DAD THEY'RE GOING TO
ACTUALLY TRY ANYWAY.
YEAH, AND HONESTLY, JOYCE, IT'S
GOING TO GET A LITTLE BIT
UNCOMFORTABLE BUT THEIR RACE
EDUCATOR CARINA HOOKS SAYS THAT
IS WHERE ALL OF THE GROWTH
REALLY HAPPENS.
SHE SAYS WHEN IT COMES TO
TALKING ABOUT RACE YOU HAVE TO
BE WILLING TO BE A LITTLE
UNCOMFORTABLE TO SOMETIMES
STICK YOUR FOOT IN YOUR MOUTH
AND ULTIMATELY TO KEEP COMING
BACK NO MATTER WHAT.
AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE
GOING TO BE SEEING FROM
STEVE AND CAITLIN AND THEIR
FINAL STORY WITH US WHICH WILL
BE ON TOMORROW JOYCE.
YEAH, WE'VE SAID THIS BEFORE.
PEOPLE MAKE MISTAKES BUT IT'S
OK TO MAKE MISTAKES.
THAT'S WHERE THE GROWTH IS TO
ABSOLUTELY GOT TO BE WILLING TO
YEAH.
KRISTEN, WE DO HAVE MORE COMING
UP TOMORROW AS YOU JUST HEARD
AND IF YOU HAVE A STORY IDEA
FOR OUR