November 20 - 26, 2020

On June 19, 2020, I made a commitment to educate myself on the lingering effects of racism, discrimination, and bias in America. Every day through June 18, 2021, I will read an article or book chapter, listen to a podcast, watch a movie or documentary, view a webinar, or do something substantive to educate myself in these areas. As part of that commitment, I will post to this blog each Friday with a list of what I've done over the past week as well as any pertinent thoughts or reflections.

Today's post covers the week of November 20-26, 2020.

 

A Conversation With the Police - Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man, Ep. 9 

Former UT football player Emmanuel Acho has started a video series entitled Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man, and in this episode he sits down with officers from the Petaluma (CA) Police Department. Acho states, "Proximity breeds care, and distance breeds fear," as part of his goal to bring people of different backgrounds together for dialogue. Topics in this episode include defunding the police, Black Lives Matter vs. Blue Lives Matter, and the politicizing of law and order.

 

The Challenge of Black Patriotism 

Theodore R. Johnson, a retired U.S. Navy Commander and Senior Fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice writes this piece for The New York Times Magazine in which he explores the history and tenants of Black patriotism. Johnson observes that mostly widely held conception of patriotism today is blind patriotism, which he says is, "discomfited by the idea that a love for country entails holding it to its own standards." Black patriotism could also be called "constructive patriotism," which has been formed by the historical exclusion of Black Americans from the principles upon which the country was founded.

 

Claim Us If You're Famous 

The NPR podcast Code Switch examines Kamala Harris's rise in American politics and her multiracial background. Black Americans, Black females, South Asians, Indian Americans, immigrants, and white females (among others) have all identified with Harris. But how does a multiracial female, raised by an Indian mother in a Black neighborhood in Oakland navigate stereotypes and the intersections of her identities? How does her Brahman heritage, for example, interact with her Jamaican roots? This is a fascinating look into how race and identity frame the discussion around the next Vice-President of the United States.

The Heavy Toll of the Blackbelt's Wastewater Crisis

Alexis Okeowo writes about extreme poverty in Lowndes County, Alabama, where soil conditions make it difficult to affordably address wastewater treatment. Residents are caught in a vicious cycle of poor health, and poverty. Catherine Coleman Flowers, founder of the Alabama Center for Rural Enterprise and a MacArthur Fellow who has been working to address the wastewater issue, says, “A reason this problem has perpetuated for so long was because they blamed it on poor ignorant Black people who don’t know how to flush a toilet or take care of a septic system." Baylor's Peter Hotez, commenting on the situation in Lowndes, says, “I was able to help mobilize hundreds of millions of dollars over the years from U.S.A.I.D. to address neglected tropical diseases in Africa and in poor areas of Asia. But when you talk about neglected infections of the poor in America the lights go out.” 

 

Racism Impoverishes the Whole Economy 

Lisa Cook, an economist from Michigan State, details research into how racism not only holds back people of color, it also detrimentally affects gross domestic product and innovation. Cook proposes several solutions aimed not just at correcting systemic injustices, but also growing the US economy.

White People Say They Want To Be An Ally To Black People. But Are They Ready for the Sacrifice?

Kelsey Smoots, a PhD candidate at William and Mary, writes this opinion piece for The Guardian. Smoots talks about how the killing of George Floyd has led white liberals to seek allyship with the Black community, and how misguided that attempt usually is. Only through completely forgoing the privilege of whiteness, Smoots argues, can white people truly forge a bond with people of color.

What I Hear When You Say: Cultural Appropriation vs. Appreciation

This brief video features many different people of color commenting on the differences between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation. Fashion, video games, and language are all referenced as examples of instances where one culture may borrow something from another without knowing the history behind its use.