In this episode we sit down with Rhodes scholar and author @CaylinLMoore to discuss respectability politics. We touch on the various ways racism and economic deprivation have framed our views on respectability in relation to Blackness.
We discuss the racial and socio-economic hurdles we have had to overcome to access academic and professional spaces whilst Black and acknowledge the immense pressure placed on us in these environments to conform to a 'respectable', palatable version of Blackness.
Caylin touches on his experience attending Oxford University as an African American man from the hood, illuminating shared histories of exclusion for all children of the African diaspora. The conversation ends with a message of hope, appreciating the resilience and determination Black people have developed in the face of adversity, affirming that we are enough despite the odds being stacked against us; we are in fact the "legislators of human culture".
Find out more about Caylin's work including his book titled 'A Dream Too Big: The Story of an Improbable Journey from Compton to Oxford' on his website: https://www.thomasnelson.com/p/a-dream-too-big/
Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @CaylinLMoore
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