What happens when a black woman in the military has her white friend’s mother ask to touch her black curly hair? Are such experiences based in racism or simply based in ignorance and curiosity?
Is White American curiosity about Black people based in a failure to see their humanity, or is it more often just a genuine desire to connect with them as people? Is it understandable for Black Americans to be wary of White people’s interest in their lives and intentions in getting to know them from a concern that their questions are based in - and perhaps trying to confirm - racial stereotypes?
In this conversation, our guests grapple with how to overcome racial divides in how we understand each other as Americans and in who we have in our social networks. How do we overcome racial biases, stereotypes, and prejudices when we're engaged in racial mixing?
How can Black & White Americans be curious about each other without making each other feel defined by our skin color or feel like objects instead of human beings? Are DEI efforts part of the solution to this, or do they exacerbate these issues?
And more generally, is America still racist, or do Black & White Americans just misunderstand each other because our lives are too segregated from one another?
