Am I Racist? (2024)

1. One minute.

2. One minute.

3. Hi.

4. - How are you? - You can go right here.

5. Joining us now is Matt. He's a certified DEI expert.

6. And, Matt, let's start with what you do.

7. What is a certified DEI expert?

8. Well, that's someone who takes you on a journey

9. of diversity and inclusion.

10. And, um, speaking of journeys, you know,

11. it's all about how you begin the journey.

12. We covered this in the workshop.

13. I'd like to start with

14. what's called a "land acknowledgement."

15. I don't know if you're familiar with those.

16. Um, I brought, uh, one along for this broadcast.

17. Uh, so, I'd like to begin by acknowledging

18. that this broadcast is airing in the traditional lands

19. of the Ute, the Paiute,

20. the Goshute, and the Shoshone tribes.

21. These are the peoples who call this land home

22. before it was ravaged and ransacked by the white man.

23. And this is a lot of things

24. that we don't necessarily think about.

25. - Mm-hmm. - And this is part

26. of the journey that you'd like to teach other folks

27. - in your workshops. - Yeah.

28. If you wouldn't mind,

29. I'd go through the exercise right now.

30. - Uh... - Go ahead. What is it?

31. So, can we all do it together?

32. - Yeah. Do we stand? - Yeah. Yeah, we stand for it.

33. - Okay. - Okay.

34. It's very, very simple. I start every day like this.

35. So what you're doing is you're stretching,

36. you're stretching, and this is more for you and less for you.

37. You're stretching up like this,

38. - and you're stretching out. - Mm-hmm.

39. What you're doing is you're stretching

40. out of your whiteness.

41. Okay, so you're decentering your whiteness.

42. You're stretching out of your whiteness.

43. You're probably wondering if this is real.

44. The answer is yes. It's real.

45. That's me. Matt Walsh. In real life.

46. With the man bun and the skinny jeans

47. on an actual news show as a certified DEI expert.

48. If you don't know,

49. DEI stands for diversity, equity, and inclusion.

50. It's all the rage right now.

51. But you're still probably asking,

52. what am I doing on this TV show?

53. How did I get there?

54. And how did I become a certified DEI expert?

55. Well, it's a complicated story.

56. I've been a white guy my whole life.

57. Growing up in the '90s,

58. I never thought much about race.

59. I mean, yeah, sure,

60. you noticed if somebody was Black

61. or white or Mexican, or whatever,

62. but it never really seemed to matter that much.

63. At least not to me.

64. And we think the vast majority of Americans are racist?

65. That's what I'm trying... I totally understand.

66. I think that there is a significant portion,

67. um, that are racist

68. - and you can't... - These days, though,

69. we're told that racial tensions are high.

70. It's all over the media.

71. There are a lot of racists in this country.

72. We're doing a big story about race in America.

73. Race in America.

74. Black, Latino,

75. and Indigenous people are suffering and dying...

76. Violent, white supremacy.

77. - White... - White...

78. - White entitlement. - This is America.

79. Overnight growing national unrest.

80. We've gotta do the work.

81. - Coffee? - Yes. Thank you.

82. How do you take it?

83. Black.

84. That was awkward.

85. Should I not have said "black"?

86. That's how I like my coffee.

87. I don't like cream. Is that so wrong?

88. I don't think the two should be mixed.

89. Okay, that does sound racist.

90. Wait, am I racist?

91. What is racism?

92. If I'm gonna sort this out, I need to talk to an expert.

93. Preferably someone outside of my bubble.

94. Somebody who can speak with authority

95. about the Black experience in America.

96. Or I'll just talk to this white woman.

97. This is Kate Slater.

98. She's an anti-racist scholar and educator.

99. - Hi. Nice... - Nice to meet ya. How are ya?

100. And you are the co-creator

101. of something called the Anti-Racist

102. - Roadmap. - Roadmap. Yeah.

103. So, what... what is that?

104. After 2020, we saw

105. a lot of white people saying,

106. "Okay, I know I need to do the work,

107. "but I don't know what the work is."

108. So what is the work?

109. 'Cause I wanna do...

110. - The work. - Do that.

111. I wanna do it too, but I don't know what...

112. What is the work?

113. I think, for white folks, the work is

114. reallocating our resources and privileges

115. to balance out systemic inequities.

116. So that means there is a white person who says,

117. "Okay, I'm ready to interrupt racism,"

118. or, "I'm gonna be really nice

119. "to that Black or brown person,"

120. because that's the work.

121. But they're never willing to interrupt

122. their shitty racist uncle.

123. That's a powerful example for me.

124. You mentioned a racist uncle.

125. - I've got one, too. - Yeah.

126. Well, you're saying,

127. sometimes we have to confront those people.

128. Oh, absolutely.

129. Because if you're not going to confront them, who is?

130. When is the right age to talk to our kids

131. about their racism?

132. Before they can talk.

133. I mean it. I...

134. So my six-month-old baby, I used...

135. Why the hell not? Why the hell not?

136. My six-month-old...

137. And honestly, they've gone through six months of life,

138. I've never talked to them about racism.

139. So my daughter's four years old.

140. I am an anti-racist educator, quote-unquote.

141. She's still watching Disney movies,

142. and she is choosing a white princess over

143. princesses of color.

144. Have you talked to her about that?

145. All the time.

146. My three-year-old daughter is very...

147. Her favorite princess is Moana.

148. - Love it. - It's a good sign.

149. - Yeah. - But then I also thought,

150. you know, it's a little bit of cultural appropriation here.

151. She wants to be Moana for Halloween.

152. Mm-hmm.

153. So, how do we navigate that?

154. Do I go and buy

155. the Pacific Islander native attire

156. for my white three-year-old?

157. Um, I wouldn't. I wouldn't.

158. But I guess, what we might call the Moana problem here

159. is what, uh, on one hand, is cultural appropriation.

160. On the other hand,

161. there's gravitating towards white characters.

162. - Right. - So it's almost like

163. no matter which way you go,

164. - you end up back... - Right.

165. in racism.

166. We think every space belongs to us

167. because we live in a white supremacist society.

168. Is America an inherently racist country?

169. I think the word "inherent" is challenging there.

170. - If we say... - Fundamentally.

171. Fundamentally, yes.

172. America is racist to its bones.

173. - All of the... - So, inherently.

174. Yeah.

175. Just to put it as bluntly as possible,

176. am I racist?

177. Every white person in America has grown up in a country

178. where race and racism make up the fabric of our society.

179. So I don't think anyone moves through this world

180. with a non-bias, non-racist world view.

181. So the answer's yes, I am racist.

182. You said it

183. What do you recommend to people for resources

184. if they're just starting on their anti-racist path?

185. Go to the bookstore

186. if you're not reading these books.

187. And then applying what you've learned,

188. taking what you read about and saying,

189. "Hey, racist uncle,

190. "I think we should talk about this."

191. That you're no good.

192. I've never, uh, confronted my own racist uncle.

193. I haven't confronted him.

194. But it's not ever too late.

195. No.

196. No.

197. Sometimes it means having the conversation

198. that you've been knowing in your heart,

199. you've been putting off for years.

200. Hmm.

201. If Kate Slater's right, then it's all worse than I thought.

202. America is racist down to its bones.

203. And my Uncle Frank,

204. well, I'll deal with him later.

205. For now, I've got a lot of reading to do.

206. So we do have books on anti-racism,

207. uh, kind of all throughout the store.

208. There's a lot of, like, newer stuff

209. that tends to go on the main floor first, but...

210. - Yeah. - ... the bulk of our section,

211. we keep over here.

212. This is all anti-racism?

213. Yeah. This section is really just books on anti-racism,

214. and a lot of the history of racism,

215. particularly in the United States.

216. Am I even allowed to touch this one?

217. Some of these books are provocative.

218. Yes. Definitely.

219. So, what... Am I allowed to even read this one?

220. I think you're allowed to read it.

221. I would not perhaps say the title.

222. So I couldn't call you up and say, "Do you have..."

223. You might say it's a book that starts with "N"

224. - and it's by this author. - Yeah.

225. If you were looking for that in particular.

226. That's probably a level up

227. from where I am.

228. How many of these do you think we need to...

229. need to get through before we can really understand?

230. Start with one book, let it sit, see how you feel.

231. I feel like reading one book kind of gets you

232. into a place where it's like,

233. "You know what? I do want to do more about this."

234. These are all staff recommendations.

235. Uh, they're all fiction, written by diverse authors,

236. and they're all pretty fun.

237. Dumb question. You said diverse authors.

238. What's a diverse person?

239. Uh, that would be basically people who aren't white,

240. essentially.

241. - So, Black, Latinx... - So we can't...

242. Native American, Asian...

243. So everybody who's not white is diverse.

244. Well...

245. Unless you're... say, gay.

246. Yeah. I mean,

247. it's not just reading Black people, but, you know,

248. every... Like, there are a lot of different groups

249. that have faced persecution, and have had a hard time,

250. and, you know, just being a white,

251. straight, cisgender person, usually a man,

252. it's like kind of the top of the pile.

253. - But, uh... - That's me.

254. So I'm on the top of the pile.

255. - Uh... You know... - Where should I start?

256. White Women, uh,

257. by Regina Jackson and Saira Rao.

258. Race 2 Dinner is a thing that they do, uh...

259. Basically, this book is saying, like,

260. "We need to stop being nice about racism,"

261. 'cause nothing has been advanced by being nice.

262. White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo.

263. Hearing from another white person

264. about ways to have these conversations,

265. and ways to break through your own white fragility,

266. I think, is a really good place to start.

267. Well, a lot to learn,

268. but we have all the materials here,

269. I think...

270. to start the journey.

271. Beautiful bookstore.

272. Thank you. We're fond of it.

273. Thank you.

274. Have a good day.

275. Robin DiAngelo's 2018 book, White Fragility,

276. catapulted to the top

277. of the New York Times best sellers' list.

278. Robin DiAngelo is a sociologist,

279. and she's author of this book.

280. Everyone, please check out her book, White Fragility.

281. Everyone else in the world has.

282. White Fragility, which is, in many cases,

283. the Bible for white people...

284. This is the book that we'll be reading.

285. - White Fragility. - Crucial and seminal book.

286. New York Times best-selling list

287. for the third year.

288. "Racism is the norm rather than an aberration.

289. "Anti-Blackness is foundational

290. "to our very identities as white people."

291. As a white person,

292. I was just raised to expect the world to be mine.

293. That's how difficult we are.

294. Wow.

295. That's how big, uh, a-holes we are.

296. Yeah.

297. "White identity is inherently racist.

298. "White people do not exist

299. "outside the system of white supremacy."

300. When we say "I'm not racist," what we're conveying

301. is that we're clueless about what racism is.

302. And I would just ask white Americans

303. to remove that phrase from their vocabulary.

304. "I'm not racist."

305. "Anger, fear, and guilts,

306. "and behavior such as argumentation silence

307. "and withdrawal. These responses work to

308. "maintain our dominance within the racial hierarchy.

309. "I conceptualize this process as white fragility."

310. Robin DiAngelo was right.

311. Coming to terms with my whiteness

312. was not going to be easy.

313. Fortunately, I found a support group

314. that can help me with my white privilege,

315. run by an anti-racist expert who specializes in grief.

316. Her fee was $30,000 to host this workshop,

317. so, obviously, she must be the best.

318. But I'm worried that, as a well-known conservative,

319. the support group may not welcome me into their fold.

320. Maybe I'll use a different name

321. to help me blend in.

322. Whatever it takes to continue this journey.

323. All right. So, typically, I like

324. to open up the space with a brief meditation,

325. so if you feel comfortable,

326. please ground yourself in your seats.

327. Close your eyes

328. and just allow yourself to be fully present in the space.

329. Whatever that means.

330. Are we meditating?

331. Okay. Sorry.

332. When you are ready, open your eyes

333. and rejoin the space.

334. All right. So is everybody excited

335. to talk about anti-racism and grief?

336. Absolutely.

337. Okay.

338. So, I usually like to get this started

339. by just introducing ourselves.

340. If you could please pronounce your name.

341. Uh, please share your pronouns,

342. how you're feeling today,

343. as well as the weirdest compliment

344. you have ever received.

345. My name is Dan. Uh, my pronouns are he/him.

346. I'm feeling excited today.

347. And then the weirdest compliment

348. I think I've ever received...

349. I was in the online dating sphere,

350. and I've gotten the "you look much better in person."

351. Oh, my God.

352. Um...

353. If you wanna stand, you can,

354. - totally, it's okay. - Okay, I'll just sit down.

355. Uh, I'm Steven.

356. Uh, pronouns, I'll...

357. you know, I'll have to get back to you on that.

358. Um, I'm feeling excited, uh, nervous.

359. Mm-hmm.

360. Uh, present.

361. A little hungry. But...

362. The strangest compliment I've ever gotten

363. is I've been complimented, uh,

364. on the number of Black friends that I have...

365. Hmm... in the past.

366. So, it's 17, um...

367. it's a number, but, you know...

368. Sometimes it comes up, but, um...

369. That's what people have said, so...

370. Hmm.

371. Thank you, everybody,

372. for being willing to participate

373. and for, first and foremost, being here.

374. We will not end systemic racism.

375. It is not possible for us to dismantle a system

376. that has been around for 400 years,

377. and has effectively and efficiently

378. destroyed the lives of millions of people.

379. You all have been grandfathered into the system.

380. We are here to focus on you

381. and your experience and your grief

382. because that is the source

383. of downstream anti-Blackness and racism.

384. And quite frankly, I pray to God

385. you all feel this uncomfortable.

386. I will be so happy if you all feel extremely uncomfortable,

387. if you are truly looking at what white supremacy

388. has done to not only, um,

389. African Americans, but to yourselves.

390. You are here to sit amidst whatever suffering

391. and pain you are experiencing

392. for the sake of the liberation of others.

393. That is love.

394. I don't know if any of you grew up

395. with a Christian background. I did.

396. Uh...

397. But love is also not always patient and kind.

398. When we are talking about systemic oppression,

399. and the role that we are playing to mitigate it,

400. patience is not needed.

401. People are dying.

402. Kindness is not what is called for.

403. We are here to talk about the fact

404. that Black Americans are not safe.

405. If I'm going to be quite frank,

406. when I do this work, and these types of circles,

407. I'm not safe.

408. But I do them out of necessity.

409. Why are you...

410. Why are you not safe in the circle?

411. Being an African American

412. in primarily white spaces is not safe for me mentally

413. or emotionally.

414. We will go into more depth about that,

415. but I appreciate that question.

416. These topics may be difficult, and at times,

417. you may feel overcome by emotions. That's okay.

418. There is a room to the left.

419. If you find that your emotions are, um,

420. interfering with the group process,

421. I kindly ask you to step aside.

422. Um, so can we start with you?

423. I'm here because...

424. I feel like I've been socialized to be an asshole,

425. and that doesn't feel good.

426. And my promise to the Black community

427. is to lean into

428. being brave and uncomfortable,

429. and to love in inconvenient ways.

430. Thank you.

431. Well, I'm here on a journey towards

432. a brighter future, uh, for myself

433. and for, you know, hopefully, the world.

434. My promise to myself is love.

435. To love myself.

436. Which is so important,

437. and I've struggled so much with that.

438. I've struggled so much with it

439. in my life, to find myself. Um...

440. My promise to the Black communities...

441. to be so much better.

442. So much better than I have been to them.

443. To be better in so many better ways.

444. To better myself. To better the world.

445. And I know that I haven't been better.

446. I haven't been.

447. But I'm going to be.

448. That's my promise.

449. Thank you.

450. Oh.

451. I am here with the intention

452. to understand

453. and learn and, um...

454. - dig a little bit into... - I'm sorry, can I...

455. I forgot one other thing I wanted to promise

456. - the Black community. - Um...

457. It's really important that we don't interrupt

458. each other during the group.

459. - Oh, I'm sorry. - But I appreciate...

460. I have one other promise for the Black...

461. - We can circle back around. - Thank you.

462. Are we going to circle back around?

463. No. No. Uh...

464. Other things will come up. That's part of the process.

465. But I want to be very sure

466. that we respect everybody's time.

467. Okay. I didn't want someone else to take my promise

468. to the Black community that I was gonna make.

469. Well, thank you. Please continue.

470. The promise that I am making to myself

471. is to be elastic.

472. To use my voice and my privilege,

473. to be heard.

474. Uh, to...

475. That's what I was gonna say, but...

476. - Please allow her to finish. - Sorry.

477. If we think about the construction of whiteness

478. as an identity,

479. it makes sense that the seeds of white supremacy

480. are buried within your subconscious,

481. whether or not you realize it, and without your consent.

482. It is often uncommon for white Americans

483. to be aware of their privilege,

484. let alone how it's functioning on a day-to-day basis.

485. You said, a moment ago...

486. - Um, there'll be an oppor... - Can I say something?

487. Uh, yes. Ask a question.

488. You said, a moment ago,

489. that the seeds of white supremacy

490. - are in all of us. - Yes.

491. How do we get them out?

492. That's what the presentation...

493. We're going through the presentation to discuss that.

494. If there is another interruption,

495. I'm going to have to respectfully ask you

496. to step out and go to the second room to the left.

497. But next time, I am gonna have to ask you to leave, okay?

498. Leave for good?

499. Just until you're able to rejoin the group

500. and participate without interruption.

501. - Yeah? - That's fair.

502. Okay. Thank you.

503. White supremacy has essentially created a system

504. driven by grief,

505. and that is why we are here to discuss

506. white grief in particular.

507. I would like you to close your eyes

508. and spend the next 30 seconds

509. thinking about,

510. what does that loss feel like in your body?

511. It feels like a thousand knives

512. plunging into my soul.

513. And a sack being...

514. hit by bats and bricks.

515. And the whole sack is thrown into the ocean.

516. Thank you.

517. That's what it feels like.

518. And it's very... it's...

519. - Oh, um... - What?

520. We're moving to her now.

521. I... I didn't finish.

522. Please finish.

523. Um...

524. The sack's thrown into the ocean,

525. then the sack's taken out,

526. and it's set on fire.

527. - Thank you. - That's what it feels like.

528. I have spent a lot of time in primarily white spaces.

529. For better or worse. So...

530. And that has come with a cost.

531. How long will it take until

532. the next microaggression comes up?

533. These are things that I carry every time

534. I am in a room with primarily white people.

535. You're safe here.

536. I think I speak for all of us when I say,

537. in this room...

538. I...

539. - One more interruption... - White folks.

540. I'm gonna have to ask you to step out again.

541. Okay. I just wanted to reassure you.

542. Thank you. I appreciate that.

543. - I just want to. - Thanks.

544. So, what do you feel in your body

545. when you hear the term "white people"?

546. I feel, like, a cringe about it.

547. "Cringe" is a good word.

548. - Cringe? Yeah? - I couldn't pick a word,

549. - but that's a very good one. - Okay.

550. As soon as you asked the question, I felt,

551. inside, like a gut...

552. a little bit of a poke. "Ugh."

553. And I think it's for all of the reasons,

554. - but also a little anger... - Mm-hmm.

555. at whiteness as, um, that lie.

556. Just, "ugh!"

557. Mm-hmm. Thank you.

558. The thing about...

559. I'm gonna step out for a moment.

560. Thank you. Appreciate that.

561. The thing about...

562. Which one is the cry room?

563. The second door to the left.

564. Thank you.

565. My time in the cry room

566. allowed me some much-needed reflection and self-care,

567. but with me out of the room,

568. the group put two and two together and realized

569. who I actually was.

570. Not a guy named Steven.

571. When I finally returned,

572. things were drastically different.

573. When I do this work, the, uh, white participants

574. in the group feel that there's something in themselves

575. that they have to overcome.

576. When all that's

577. being requested of you...

578. is that you be.

579. - Hello. - Hi.

580. How are you?

581. - Sorry about that. - Oh, no problem.

582. - You good? - Yeah.

583. Remind me of your name again?

584. Uh... Uh, Steven.

585. Steven? Yeah? Okay.

586. Um...

587. - Did you want to come up? - Come up?

588. Yeah. Do you wanna come up and share anything?

589. Sure. What do you want me to share?

590. Whatever's on your mind.

591. I just want to know that, like, my physical safety

592. and yours and everybody else's here is okay.

593. Why would your physical safety not be okay?

594. Did I miss something?

595. I don't feel comfortable.

596. What... Can you guys

597. catch me up to speed on what's going on here?

598. You don't need to be caught up.

599. We're gonna be silent.

600. Is it because I said I had 17 Black friends?

601. It might have been 15. I...

602. It depends on how you count them.

603. I would really appreciate it if you left,

604. so that the people who actually want to be here

605. and deserve to be here can get what they need.

606. - I do want to be here. - Can you please leave?

607. I would like it if you left.

608. I'm trying to learn. I'm on this journey.

609. Come with me.

610. - Well... - Thank you.

611. I didn't... I didn't consent to be touched.

612. I'm not offering to touch you.

613. I'm offering to walk you out.

614. Will you walk with me, and I'll answer your questions?

615. Okay. I'll admit it.

616. I'll admit it. My name's not Steven.

617. Hmm.

618. Maybe you already knew that.

619. My name is Matt Walsh.

620. - Mm-hmm - Mm-hmm. We know.

621. I just was here on this...

622. on this journey that I'm just starting, but...

623. I see that I'm not wanted.

624. If you were on your journey,

625. then you would've told us who you were

626. and your real name, but you didn't.

627. - Please leave. - Are you saying

628. I need a better disguise? Is that what you...

629. I don't know. Maybe.

630. But you can figure that out as you walk out the door.

631. How did you get in here?

632. We all had an invitation.

633. - Maybe. - Yeah. Maybe.

634. Thank you so much.

635. I really had a transformative experience myself.

636. And my pronouns are he/him.

637. I did everything I could to fit in.

638. I opened up.

639. I was raw and emotional.

640. I told them about my Black friends.

641. It was no use. They rejected me.

642. And they called the police.

643. My mere presence in the room caused them pain.

644. I'll never be accepted if I look like this.

645. If they know that I'm Matt Walsh,

646. I'll always be an outsider.

647. I need to go deeper undercover.

648. A whole new identity.

649. If I want to be an ally, I need to look like one.

650. Like someone who is progressive,

651. tolerant, enlightened.

652. Let me think.

653. Have I ever met anyone like that?

654. Ah, yes.

655. Yes, I have.

656. What is a woman?

657. Why do you ask that question?

658. It's time to get serious about my anti-racist training.

659. And it's not gonna be cheap.

660. - Nice to meet you. - I'm Matt. How are you?

661. - Nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you.

662. I guess I'll take my seat here.

663. What is race?

664. So it emerged in the late 1600s essentially.

665. Did race exist as a reality before?

666. We made race exist.

667. Now that we've talked a little bit about what race is,

668. then what is racism?

669. Robin DiAngelo, so she's the author

670. of the book, White Fragility.

671. She talks about the system of racism

672. that we have in the US is based on white supremacy.

673. This is why a conversation about reparations

674. and about repair is important.

675. Ultimately, should we be a colorblind society is what

676. Martin Luther King said, not to judge people

677. by the color of their skin.

678. Um, so Martin Luther King said a lot of stuff,

679. but he knew about institutional,

680. interpersonal and internalized racism.

681. I've been told, because I'm a white male,

682. I'm kind of at the top of the pile.

683. How do I get down from the top

684. if I say I don't want that advantage?

685. Um...

686. I don't think you necessarily can.

687. The reason we cannot be colorblind now

688. is because we're still working on the problem.

689. I'm DEI certified. How are you?

690. DEI certified. I'm here to help.

691. DEI certified. If you need some help, let me know, sir.

692. I'm DEI certified.

693. - What? - What?

694. Let me know if you need some help. I'm DEI certified.

695. Oh, good.

696. If you need any help, just let me know.

697. My name's Matt. I am, uh, certified

698. in diversity, equity, and inclusion.

699. Just got my certification.

700. Just letting you know I am DEI certified.

701. - DEI certified. - What is DEI?

702. You're in good hands here. I am qualified to have

703. these kinds of important dialogues.

704. So I guess I'll start with,

705. where are you guys in your anti-racist journeys?

706. Just talk to me about, uh, decentering your whiteness

707. and where you are on that journey.

708. - "Decentering my whiteness." - Yeah.

709. Why do I have to go away from my whiteness

710. and decentralize it?

711. I recently actually took a masters level course,

712. um, about inclusion and diversity.

713. Have you heard of DiversityAndlnclusion.com?

714. I have not.

715. Couple of different prestigious institutions.

716. We all go to different schools, but go ahead.

717. There were some things that,

718. you know, kind of brought to my thought process

719. during that course that I had never...

720. - Like what? - ... thought about before.

721. Um, just about my own thinking.

722. When you start thinking about how you feel,

723. but you maybe don't want to feel.

724. Does that make sense?

725. It does make sense. What do you mean?

726. Um...

727. All I know is that, like,

728. I am white, and I am not racist.

729. That's how we, uh, deal with racism?

730. We just... We just say, "Oh, it's not happening."

731. Yeah, the more you talk about it,

732. the more you are blatantly acknowledging race.

733. And if you wanna forget it...

734. - We have to acknowledge it. - You need to shut up about it.

735. I don't want to forget about it.

736. It's cool, like, you can flash your card all you want,

737. but you gotta be a real human at some point in your life.

738. - Did you see the card? - I don't give a damn

739. - about your card, bro. - Let's see it.

740. Look, we're not gonna solve racism in this conversation,

741. but we can all agree

742. that you guys have some things to learn.

743. I feel like you're the most racist person

744. I've ever talked to.

745. One of us got the license, the other one didn't, so...

746. You just sound like a really racist person.

747. That I am. I've realized that.

748. - I've been told that. - Why do you admit that?

749. Because denying it doesn't make it go away.

750. We can't all be certified experts.

751. I mean, I am,

752. but we can't all be.

753. All right.

754. We're still on a journey, all of us together.

755. - Yeah. - That's my motto.

756. I think you got some journeying to do.

757. I know I make this look easy,

758. but DEI work is harder than you think.

759. I still have a lot to learn.

760. A viral video from September

761. at ASU's multi-cultural center ignited a firestorm.

762. - What'd I do wrong? - You have a bag...

763. You're... You're offensive.

764. You're making this space uncomfortable.

765. uncomfortable.

766. But you're white.

767. This white man thinks he can take up our space,

768. and this is why we need a multi-cultural space.

769. You are racist! Your sticker's racist because

770. you can choose to be a cop,

771. you can choose to kill people with a badge,

772. and you're protecting that shit,

773. which means that you're racist!

774. Meet the charming young lady from that video.

775. Sarra Tekola.

776. Founding member of Black Lives Matter, Phoenix.

777. She has a Ph.D. in Sustainability, which means

778. something really important, I'm sure.

779. She's agreed to help me learn how to decolonize myself.

780. For a $1,500 fee, of course.

781. So let's just get this kicked off.

782. I'm a white guy myself.

783. What's up with white people?

784. Um, where do we start?

785. Let me reframe the question a little bit.

786. What's wrong with white people?

787. A lot of it has to do with cognitive dissidence

788. which allows, um, white people

789. to feel okay about what happened.

790. There's actually a lot of studies on Nazi doctors,

791. and how they were able to, um, live with themselves.

792. Um, and it's not that much different than white Americans

793. or white people around the world, right?

794. It's this splitting of the self.

795. And so, um,

796. you have this part of you that knows

797. that they did wrong, the shadow self,

798. and that you have to split that.

799. And you have the other self that's like,

800. "Oh, I didn't do anything wrong.

801. "Racism? Why are you blaming me

802. "for what my ancestors did? It's not my fault."

803. Is racism inherent to whiteness?

804. I would say so.

805. I would say that we need to abolish whiteness.

806. It's always been rooted in othering the other people

807. who don't fit into whiteness,

808. but when we look at white culture,

809. the only thing about white culture

810. is buying things and stealing things.

811. How do I...

812. confront my shadow, my shadow self?

813. Acknowledging the parts of you that are racist,

814. and then being able to unpack and unlearn those.

815. Could I say, if someone called me racist,

816. could I say, "Well, I'm not racist."

817. "My shadow self is, but I'm not"?

818. It's the splitting of the self.

819. Like I said in the beginning about Nazi doctors.

820. The fact that you have two selves is a problem.

821. The more that you can merge it together,

822. then you could be able to acknowledge these dark sides.

823. But I don't want to merge it,

824. because the shadow self is racist,

825. so I don't want to be merged, right? I want to...

826. - separate. - No. You have to.

827. Yeah, because, uh, the thing is,

828. when you don't merge them together,

829. your shadow self is out here being racist,

830. and you're not even aware of it,

831. because that self, right...

832. So I gotta pull him in. I gotta merge him with mine.

833. - Yeah. - But then make it all...

834. - Yeah. - ... not racist.

835. Yes.

836. I'm wondering, where do I go from here as an individual

837. on this anti-racist journey?

838. You just know whose land you're on.

839. Our existence as Americans

840. is predicated on other people's suffering.

841. Learn about who is suffering

842. because of our existence on... on this stolen land.

843. It is important to feel bad,

844. um, about what your ancestors did.

845. - Embrace the pain. - Yes.

846. To be a good ally, I need to be an activist.

847. Our nation is littered with relics from our racist past.

848. I'm on a mission to right historical wrongs.

849. I needed some help, so I asked Ben,

850. one of my 17 Black friends,

851. to join me on my quest to change the world.

852. We have a petition.

853. Uh, we're hoping that maybe you'd be willing to sign it.

854. We have a petition. We want to rename

855. the George Washington Monument.

856. To?

857. To the George Floyd Monument.

858. Because, of course,

859. George Washington was a slave owner.

860. - Yep. - And so in some ways,

861. this is symbolic. Symmetry, it's George for George,

862. you might say. Would you mind signing?

863. - I don't see why not. I will. - Okay.

864. - Yeah. Sure. - Yeah.

865. Oh, man. I love that.

866. We're talking about painting it black.

867. We're gonna raise it 30%,

868. um, increasing it in height.

869. Excuse me, sir.

870. Sir, we have a petition. Sir?

871. For historical inequities to redress...

872. Is there a Black person around here?

873. I would hug them and apologize to them

874. all day long for what happened.

875. There's a Black person right here.

876. Does he not exist?

877. I'm sorry. I just didn't look that direction.

878. Sounds like you're in the habit of overlooking

879. marginalized communities.

880. Brother.

881. You are an American. I love you.

882. I'm sorry for what happened in the past. I really am.

883. Let's just sign it and move on.

884. You don't have an opinion, but you'll sign it anyway?

885. If that's what you'd like me to, I can help.

886. - I would like you to. - I can help you guys out.

887. Yeah. Thank you so much.

888. - Sign here? - Yes. Absolutely.

889. I think it's a beautiful idea.

890. You think it's a beautiful idea?

891. I do.

892. We've got an encouraging number of signatures so far.

893. We have a petition for the...

894. to redress historical inequities.

895. Would you mind signing it?

896. You will?

897. Uh, we want to rename the George Washington Monument

898. to the George Floyd Monument.

899. Thank you so much.

900. Would you be willing to?

901. I can't agree with that.

902. - Will you sign it? - No.

903. So are you gonna erase all of them?

904. Yes.

905. No.

906. - Can you sign it anyway? - Nope.

907. Getting people to agree

908. to change the George Washington Monument

909. to the George Floyd Monument seemed ambitious.

910. I'm pleasantly surprised

911. people are willing to erase our problematic history.

912. I spend way too much time cleaning.

913. Oh, the broom shaka lakas

914. for more than just...

915. It's come with a full 60-day...

916. There's a controversial documentary out

917. entitled Destructing Karen.

918. How many of you would trade places

919. with a Black person in this society?

920. Raise your hand.

921. Today, on an all-new Dr. Phil,

922. Regina Jackson and Saira Rao.

923. Now, they are co-founders of Race 2 Dinner.

924. What did you expect at these dinners?

925. Basically, exactly what we expect is what we get.

926. Some women are ready to do the work.

927. But pretty much when they come to the dinners,

928. "It's not me. I'm not racist."

929. Hold on a minute.

930. I've heard of these ladies before.

931. Race 2 Dinner is a thing that they do, uh...

932. Basically, this book is saying, like,

933. "We need to stop being nice about racism."

934. Stop being nice about racism?

935. What a concept!

936. Apparently, you just pay these ladies thousands of dollars

937. to come over for dinner and call you racist.

938. It's genius!

939. I absolutely need to attend one of these dinners.

940. But there's a big problem.

941. Only white women are allowed to attend.

942. Why do white women get to have all the fun?

943. I need to find another way to earn a seat at the table.

944. Okay.

945. So, at these dinners, we only have one rule.

946. And the rule is that if you have to cry,

947. you have to leave the table.

948. Generally, we will have the host just set up a room,

949. you know, with lots of tissue

950. and everything...

951. so you can go in there and sob your heart out.

952. When a white woman starts crying,

953. it draws all the attention

954. - from the room... - Yeah.

955. onto that poor,

956. - white woman. - Yeah.

957. Even the language of whiteness softens everything.

958. White fragility, so what that is, is...

959. And by the way, a white woman,

960. you know, your hero, Robin DiAngelo,

961. coined that term,

962. and it's for when people...

963. when Black and brown people talk about racism

964. and then white people get upset, you know, angry,

965. and then deflect the conversation.

966. By not wanting to address your racism

967. and your white supremacy,

968. that is upholding white supremacy.

969. That is not fragile. So just think about how even language

970. to describe your violent behavior

971. is couched in ways to make you all seem delicate.

972. And to make you comfortable.

973. So...

974. tell us one instance

975. that your racism has shown up recently.

976. And that's either something

977. - you did... - Didn't do.

978. thought or an action.

979. So, my husband's Black,

980. so it can be an everyday white supremacist thing.

981. Like, if I'm out in public,

982. and he's, like, really loud or something

983. and I'll shush him.

984. Why do you do that?

985. Uh, usually because we're in a space

986. that I think should be quiet, which is probably

987. my white supremacy talking.

988. So, that's basically tone policing

989. - a Black person... - Mm-hmm.

990. who happens to be your husband.

991. - Yeah. - Okay. Who's next?

992. This one mom starts going on about

993. how her white son is so screwed.

994. Been rejected here, and "white boy, white boy."

995. All right, white entitlement, white centering,

996. tone policing, white silence.

997. White women owned slaves.

998. Period. That's what it is.

999. Let's be clear what's happening in this country.

1000. - It's Nazism. - Yeah.

1001. Republicans are Nazis.

1002. I assume it sounds like everyone here

1003. is probably not a Republican. I might be wrong.

1004. Am I wrong about the...

1005. Is there any Republican at this table?

1006. You cannot separate yourselves

1007. from the bad white people.

1008. The proliferation of guns has happened

1009. every time whites feel terrified

1010. of Black and brown people,

1011. which is literally every 10 seconds,

1012. but also, um, when there's an event like Obama.

1013. Like Ferguson. Like 9/11.

1014. Like COVID-19. Like George Floyd. Thank you.

1015. Um...

1016. You've been killing all of us, right?

1017. Primarily Black folks, and we're just right behind.

1018. Right? There's the hierarchy.

1019. Whiteness is even more insidious than I...

1020. than I even knew even a year ago.

1021. And whiteness also robs you of your brain.

1022. You know, you all have gave up

1023. your reproductive health rights without...

1024. You wouldn't even get off your Peloton bike

1025. for 10 minutes to go protest that.

1026. Did you want a second roll?

1027. No, thank you. Oh, okay. I'm good.

1028. Black people know

1029. that white people believe they need their guns

1030. to protect yourselves from us.

1031. We've decided that it's okay for the Second Amendment,

1032. which is literally synonymous with white supremacy,

1033. to be our bible.

1034. You want some?

1035. This is what anti-racism is.

1036. It's actually what anti-whiteness is.

1037. - It has to burn. - Mm-hmm.

1038. The entire system has to burn.

1039. And I'm not looking to you to save this country.

1040. This country is not worth saving.

1041. This country is a piece of shit.

1042. Oh, my goodness!

1043. Oh, sorry.

1044. Um, but yes.

1045. Uh, aren't you all tired of living like this? Seriously.

1046. I mean, I used to be a white woman.

1047. An unsuccessful one...

1048. for many decades.

1049. And it was a miserable experience.

1050. And really, the... the... the hatred of yourselves

1051. and each other is like the most...

1052. The not seeing your power.

1053. The being afraid, like,

1054. all you do is talk shit about each other,

1055. talk shit about yourselves, "Oh, my God, I'm so fat."

1056. That's all they do. That's all they do.

1057. I'm telling you.

1058. These white women.

1059. But it's... it's... That's it.

1060. It's "I'm so fat. I'm so stupid.

1061. "I'm blah blah blah."

1062. Sorry.

1063. Your kids are watching you.

1064. And they're watching you talking shit about each other.

1065. You know, raging against a machine or being silent

1066. or whatever the hell it is

1067. that you're doing or not doing.

1068. And they know that you're not doing shit for them.

1069. That's so important.

1070. That is so important, what she just said.

1071. It's real... It's really important.

1072. That's...

1073. We may have to add you to our team.

1074. Oh! I would love to take a seat and join you.

1075. - No. You're not allowed to. - Oh, okay.

1076. - Definitely not allowed. - Okay.

1077. I do have my DEI certification

1078. - that I... that I got. - Okay.

1079. - Okay. - So...

1080. Not saying I'm an expert, but I'm also not a novice.

1081. So...

1082. Okay.

1083. White people are starved for these conversations.

1084. We are. We are so starving.

1085. - Yeah. - We are so starving for this.

1086. Anyone else?

1087. Want to say anything?

1088. I'll just say one thing.

1089. I'm so glad we can have these conversations.

1090. And I'll be done. But, uh, I'm just so glad

1091. that we could all get together to have these conversations.

1092. That's all I wanted to say.

1093. - Thank you. - Is he an actor?

1094. - Are you an actor? - Oh, no.

1095. Can you let us... We're trying to listen

1096. and trying to have this conversation.

1097. Okay. You know,

1098. we're all acting all the time in our lives,

1099. and, uh, and I think that that's part of the problem.

1100. You know?

1101. And it's like we're all trying to play a part

1102. rather than just being real

1103. and having these uncomfortable conversations.

1104. And that's what I'm always trying to tell people.

1105. Especially, you know, white women. No offense.

1106. - But... - No,

1107. but, see, like, you're a white dude.

1108. There's power positions

1109. - and, uh, you know... - Yeah.

1110. it's pointing... pointing...

1111. white people pointing fingers at each other is not helpful.

1112. You know, I've been on this journey for so long,

1113. and just to see you guys at the table

1114. having this conversation has been really

1115. enlightening for me.

1116. Anyway, I got the DEI certification.

1117. And I'm just on the journey.

1118. All right. You ladies have a great...

1119. Thank you. All right.

1120. - Decolonize yourself. - Mm-hmm.

1121. Do your own white supremacy dismantling.

1122. And then you can start to bring in other people.

1123. Can I just... Can I just say one last thing?

1124. Can I just propose a toast?

1125. Uh, I mean, just raise a glass if you're racist.

1126. And that's the thing.

1127. Cheers. Oh, I'm not racist. Let me put my glass down.

1128. All the rest of you.

1129. To racists.

1130. What a charming group of ladies.

1131. I've learned a lot from my fellow anti-racists.

1132. But now it's time to evangelize.

1133. To go to white America

1134. and teach them about their privilege.

1135. This biker bar will do just fine.

1136. I'm sure these people

1137. would love to have an honest dialogue

1138. about the perils of whiteness.

1139. What are you doing,

1140. personally, in your life to decenter your whiteness?

1141. What do you mean, decenter it? Well...

1142. Take it away from the center of...

1143. Who's making it the center? Why are they doing that?

1144. Why race has to be thrown in on everything?

1145. Well, you're white... you're white.

1146. So? Who cares?

1147. I mean, really, the way that the world is going right now,

1148. people need to be concerned

1149. with how they're going to feed their families.

1150. Not what color is that man's skin.

1151. I got Black friends, I love them, too.

1152. - But they know they're Black. - Do you know they're Black?

1153. Of course I do, and I like it. Good for them.

1154. Well, you know, one thing I've learned is that

1155. if you meet a Black person,

1156. you want to forget that they're Black.

1157. But don't forget that they're Black.

1158. Why would you want to forget that they're Black?

1159. - Well, don't. But also don't. - Are they a friend?

1160. Then you should embrace them being Black.

1161. I think Black men should have pride in being Black.

1162. And I think you should have pride in being white.

1163. - What's wrong with that? - I agree with the first part.

1164. Hello, sir.

1165. Hi.

1166. What's your name?

1167. Pat.

1168. - Pat? - Yeah.

1169. What about you? Do you have, uh, kids?

1170. - Do you have a wife? - Yeah, I've got...

1171. two or three kids...

1172. - Two or three kids? - Yeah.

1173. You don't have to give me the whole list,

1174. but what are some ways

1175. that you're, um, confronting your whiteness?

1176. - My whiteness? - Yeah.

1177. I get along good with Black people.

1178. I used to have... I used to have a Black brother.

1179. I called him my brother. He called me his brother.

1180. Was he really your brother?

1181. No, he wasn't.

1182. You were calling a Black man brother?

1183. Yeah. I had more Black friends

1184. living in Huntsville than I had white friends.

1185. - Really? - Yeah.

1186. So that's in your own life, but systemically...

1187. Considering the way things is at now?

1188. Yeah.

1189. Just to summarize. But what do you think about

1190. this issue of heteronormativity

1191. and how it intersects

1192. with the broader structures of racism in society?

1193. Huh?

1194. I mean, ultimately, how do we get to a point of,

1195. let's say, racial harmony?

1196. I don't know.

1197. But I'm just telling you what I said.

1198. That's a lot to think about on my own journey.

1199. - It's good to talk to you. - Mm-hmm.

1200. Uh, I'm a vegetarian as well.

1201. Uh, just started on the vegan, uh, journey also,

1202. - so I'm glad... - That don't say "vegetarian."

1203. That's a...

1204. - "Vaginatarian." - "Vaginatarian."

1205. What is that?

1206. That's a little bit of a sexist joke.

1207. Well, you know. It is what it is.

1208. What do you think about racism in society?

1209. Is it... Do you think it's a big problem?

1210. I was born in 1960.

1211. My dad, my uncle,

1212. my granddaddy, were Klansmen.

1213. It never affected me.

1214. But you don't... You're not...

1215. - No. - ... racist?

1216. - No. Not at all. - And how do you know?

1217. How do either of you know that you're...

1218. Because I... I accept people as they are.

1219. Exactly.

1220. If you approach me as a human being,

1221. then I'm gonna be a human being too.

1222. We all bleed the same way.

1223. What do you think about systemic racism?

1224. Systemic? What the hell is that?

1225. Is the system constructed in such a way

1226. as to marginalize people of color?

1227. You wanna do away with racism?

1228. Quit labeling people as Black and white.

1229. - Exactly. - But that's colorblindness,

1230. which is problematic.

1231. If I meet you as a Black man, and you...

1232. you approach me, I shake your hand.

1233. We go in here, we have a conversation,

1234. we have a beer or ride down the road on a motorcycle.

1235. What the hell does your color got to do with it?

1236. It's all right here, bubba.

1237. If you treat people right, they treat you right.

1238. And...

1239. I don't care what color they are.

1240. You gotta treat each other right.

1241. I was expecting these bikers

1242. would be a bunch of racists.

1243. And obviously, I was right.

1244. These people haven't even started

1245. to decenter their whiteness.

1246. Now I need to go deeper into the racist south,

1247. so that I can talk to people of color

1248. about their lived experience with racism.

1249. I was in the drug game for 18 years of my life, man.

1250. And 14 and a half years went all, uh, to incarceration.

1251. So how did you get out?

1252. I got out through, uh, the pages of the Word of God.

1253. My parents always taught me to love everybody.

1254. Don't allow skin color to ever become a problem for you.

1255. We didn't... We didn't see colors, baby.

1256. Because we grew up together.

1257. And you know, it was a lot of love.

1258. Inherent dignity, it's in all of us.

1259. Though we're different in so many ways,

1260. we're still alike in so many more ways.

1261. - So we all one in God's sight. - Yes.

1262. So how long have you owned this shop here?

1263. I came here August 15, 1971, from British Guyana.

1264. Did you start a family and all that?

1265. Yes. Altogether I have 53 grandchildren.

1266. - Wow. - Yeah.

1267. You think the country has been good to you?

1268. Yeah. Yeah, very good. Very good, yeah.

1269. How do you feel about America today?

1270. America, man, is a beautiful country.

1271. A beautiful country. I don't have no problem here.

1272. A lot of people, pretty critical of, uh...

1273. of this country, and, you know...

1274. I don't know why.

1275. It can be kind of a racist country.

1276. No. No, no, no.

1277. Do you experience a lot of microaggressions out here?

1278. Nah. Not out here.

1279. No.

1280. Well, what about the systemic issue?

1281. - Systemic... - What you mean by "systemic"?

1282. Well, the whole country. The system.

1283. The system is... You know, the system is racist.

1284. Mm...

1285. Not to me.

1286. - Not to you? - No. Not to me, man.

1287. I don't think about those things,

1288. racism and all that stuff.

1289. I've been reading a lot of books recently.

1290. Robin DiAngelo, White Fragility, obviously.

1291. Uh, been reading a lot of anti-racist literature.

1292. Mm-hmm. I don't read them things.

1293. What do you read?

1294. The only thing I read is the Bible.

1295. I got it in the car right there.

1296. If you looked in my car,

1297. you'll see it right there on the seat.

1298. So you haven't read any Robin DiAngelo?

1299. Uh, no. No, no. Robin DiAngelo, who is that?

1300. Well, she's a anti-racist, uh...

1301. - Oh, no, no, no. No, no, no. - ... expert.

1302. I never read them kind of books, man.

1303. If I get a book like that,

1304. I put it down. I don't want it.

1305. I got a couple copies in my car. I can give you one.

1306. No. I don't want it. I don't want it.

1307. I don't want it.

1308. No. 'Cause that is not in my heart. No.

1309. I've kind of been working on, uh, decentering my whiteness.

1310. Oh, your whiteness?

1311. Right now, baby. We all bleed the same thing, dude.

1312. If I cut you right there, you will bleed just like me.

1313. I...

1314. It's just the color of your skin.

1315. How do we get past all the, uh,

1316. talk about racism and the...

1317. Oh, we gotta love each other, like I said.

1318. We have to love each other.

1319. That's how you get past racism.

1320. Well, it can't be that simple.

1321. - Huh? - Is it that simple?

1322. Well, yeah. I mean, to me.

1323. Something's not right.

1324. These people said the same thing as those bikers.

1325. White supremacy is more pervasive

1326. than I ever imagined.

1327. I need to talk to someone

1328. who has stared directly into the face of racism.

1329. - July 16th... - Mm-hmm.

1330. - ... 2022. - Mm-hmm.

1331. - Difficult day for you. - Very.

1332. And for America.

1333. The popular kids amusement park

1334. apologized after a video went viral

1335. that appeared to show a costumed character

1336. snubbing two Black girls.

1337. Okay, you see the character coming,

1338. high-fiving everybody as he goes down the street.

1339. Gets to those two little girls.

1340. And appears to just flat out say no,

1341. and you see the little girls,

1342. and their faces, and they're heartbroken.

1343. Meet Jodi Brown.

1344. The mother who was victimized

1345. at the hands of Rosita, the Sesame Street character.

1346. She was reluctant to talk about the traumatic incident,

1347. but for $50,000,

1348. she was willing to tell her tragic story.

1349. Now, you have described this moment as disgusting.

1350. Because I feel like if you are able to acknowledge

1351. someone before my children and after my children,

1352. you could've stopped two seconds just to say hello.

1353. This was something targeted at your... you and your child.

1354. It was a very intentional racist act.

1355. We don't want some explanation that, "Oh, the performer

1356. "didn't see these two young girls."

1357. Which one of them is in isolation today

1358. from the harm that is being caused by this company.

1359. So we're gonna demand

1360. that they take care of any type of healthcare

1361. or mental care expenses

1362. that these children have realized.

1363. And who is Rosita? Who's in that costume?

1364. Mel Gibson.

1365. I think that person needs to be,

1366. you know, held accountable.

1367. - Fired and held to account. - Absolutely fired.

1368. Well, before you fire 'em,

1369. teach 'em why they're being fired.

1370. And then let them go.

1371. And then let them go.

1372. How do we fix the endemic racism among mascots?

1373. Mascots, I feel, like, need to be trained better.

1374. Do you know who the employee is that was

1375. - in the costume? - No.

1376. That information was never given to me.

1377. Uh, do we know if they're white?

1378. Um, that information was also not given to me.

1379. Do you think American society is racist?

1380. There is an epidemic of hate

1381. in the United States of America.

1382. Threats of violence.

1383. Threats of death and destruction.

1384. Hate and racism are alive and well in America.

1385. This is just absolutely crazy.

1386. She was verbally attacked by a group of men.

1387. And I heard

1388. distinctly them saying "Donald Trump."

1389. where a hate crime

1390. is being investigated...

1391. third consecutive year

1392. a noose has been found on campus.

1393. Bitter, brutal hate crimes that are on the rise.

1394. 17% increase.

1395. 20% increase.

1396. 55%.

1397. Hate crimes have surged...

1398. More than 7,200 hate crimes.

1399. A noose was found in Bubba's garage.

1400. It's not about racing.

1401. It's about race.

1402. The Jussie Smollett hate crime case

1403. shows what appears to be a noose

1404. around the Empire actor's neck.

1405. You could not get more reprehensible than a noose.

1406. We have a media that's saying it's a debate whether or not

1407. what just happened to Jussie Smollett

1408. is a hate crime. It's absurd.

1409. I've been truthful and consistent

1410. on every single level since day one.

1411. Right now, there is a domestic terrorism prevention bill

1412. moving through the house.

1413. The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act.

1414. Thank you.

1415. The hate crimes task force is investigating...

1416. - Hate crimes. - Hate crimes.

1417. - Hate crime. - Hate crime.

1418. Hate crime.

1419. Hate crimes.

1420. Thoughts?

1421. I think that hate crimes are bad.

1422. Hate in general, uh, is not good.

1423. But they're everywhere now.

1424. - No. - It's an epidemic.

1425. No, it's... it's not.

1426. Well, out of, what,

1427. 20 million index crimes a year,

1428. there are 6,000, 7,000 hate crimes.

1429. No, there's no epidemic.

1430. This is one of those things

1431. where there's a huge disconnect

1432. between media presentation,

1433. and this really is something I research professionally.

1434. And one of the reasons that you're probably

1435. talking to me also is I wrote the book, Hate Crime Hoax,

1436. and I mean, I noted that over a period of maybe...

1437. You wrote the book called what?

1438. Uh, Hate Crime Hoax.

1439. I pointed out that a lot of these incidents,

1440. Jussie Smollett, uh,

1441. Covington Catholic, Yasmin Seweid,

1442. Duke lacrosse, Bubba Wallace...

1443. Terrible story.

1444. Uh, but they didn't happen. That's the thing.

1445. None of those stories that I'm mentioning happened.

1446. I mean, you can just go on and on with this.

1447. Uh, Kansas State, the horrible racial epithets

1448. written on upscale vehicles...

1449. Okay. Let... Let's...

1450. Let's slow down here for a moment.

1451. So you wrote the book, Hate Crime Hoax?

1452. Yes.

1453. We're missing a word in our notes on that.

1454. Uh...

1455. That's an issue from the producer there

1456. if it just says "Hate Crimes,"

1457. or "Hate Crime Epidemic," or something like that.

1458. Yeah.

1459. Uh, and you say that you're Black?

1460. Yes.

1461. Don't the statistics

1462. show that anti-Black hate crimes

1463. are a huge problem?

1464. If you break down the statistics.

1465. Well, I think that depends on your definition

1466. of a huge problem. I mean, so the...

1467. One of the biggest problems.

1468. No. The statistics absolutely do not show that.

1469. What are the statistics?

1470. If you go into the FBI numbers annually,

1471. there are maybe 7,000

1472. actual reported, documented hate crimes

1473. - in a typical... - In a day?

1474. No, in a typical year.

1475. But the total number of crimes in the United States,

1476. more than 2 million committed by African Americans.

1477. Almost a million committed against African Americans.

1478. This is just violent crimes.

1479. And it's just the case

1480. that there are way more crimes than there are hate crimes.

1481. No one thinks that direct racial conflict

1482. is one of the biggest problems in the country

1483. unless they've been told by the media that it is.

1484. Uh, why are we talking about statistics?

1485. This is not a matter of statistics.

1486. Well, you asked me about the statistics.

1487. Every week practically,

1488. we hear another story about

1489. someone reporting a hate crime.

1490. Let's say, they find a noose.

1491. Uh, they found a racist note on a receipt.

1492. So, saying there's a hate crime every week

1493. is absolutely meaningless.

1494. If you really wanted to solve crime,

1495. you'd talk about Black-on-Black crime,

1496. you'd talk about addiction in poor white communities.

1497. You'd talk about almost anything

1498. but what the major media seems intent on focusing on.

1499. Most of those stories turn out to be complete fakes.

1500. It seems like the real conversation to have

1501. would be about something like hysteria

1502. and neuroticism among Americans.

1503. It becomes an opportunity for a conversation

1504. about race in America.

1505. And we can always use more of that.

1506. I absolutely disagree...

1507. With what part?

1508. That we can... I disagree with all of that.

1509. Have you heard yet that I'm a certified DEI expert?

1510. Here's my certification.

1511. "Diversitylnclusion Training.com."

1512. "Making compliance fast, easy, and painless."

1513. You don't need to read that much.

1514. - Just... Yeah, give it back. - I... I don't know...

1515. - something... - That's not the point.

1516. The demand for racism in society right now

1517. greatly outweighs the supply.

1518. We've attached a sort of value to being a victim.

1519. People report these crimes

1520. because they know the response will be immediate.

1521. It will be sensationalistic. It will be very supportive.

1522. Why would Jussie Smollett say what he did?

1523. The entire thing was complete nonsense,

1524. and I think most serious people

1525. knew this from the beginning.

1526. If it was such an obvious hoax, then why...

1527. why didn't we hear it from the media?

1528. From, uh, Kamala Harris, all the late night talk shows.

1529. The question is not, why would they ever

1530. say something that's not true?

1531. It's, sort of, why do we believe?

1532. Because this had a major national impact.

1533. This itself impacted race relations

1534. by a couple of points.

1535. Despite what the statistics say,

1536. this country isn't safe for people of color.

1537. I've heard it over and over.

1538. If only I could walk in their shoes,

1539. then I'd really know what they go through.

1540. Looks cold out there.

1541. It's two o'clock in the morning.

1542. Man, I'm hungry.

1543. You're going to Subway.

1544. Where can I get food at this hour?

1545. Subway is open 24 hours.

1546. Like, people kill me when they say things like that.

1547. Because it's like, Subway is open 24 hours for a reason.

1548. So that when you hungry at night

1549. and you ain't got no food, you go to Subway.

1550. What happened that night, Jussie?

1551. I went to the Subway and got the order.

1552. You have to understand also that it's Chicago. In winter.

1553. I, uh, heard as I was crossing the intersection,

1554. I heard, "Empire."

1555. Daily Wire.

1556. And I don't answer to "Empire."

1557. My name ain't Empire. Uh...

1558. And I didn't answer.

1559. I kept walking, and then I heard,

1560. " Empire..."

1561. So I turned around, and I said...

1562. "The did you just say to me?

1563. And I see...

1564. the uh, attacker.

1565. Uh, masked.

1566. that I had said that they were wearing

1567. MAGA hats, I never said that.

1568. And... he said,

1569. - " This MAGA country." - This MAGA country.

1570. Punches me right in the face.

1571. So I punched his ass back.

1572. Hmm?

1573. And then, um, we started tussling,

1574. you know, it was very icy.

1575. Fighting, fighting, fighting. There was a second person

1576. involved, who was kicking me in my back.

1577. And then I... I smelled bleach.

1578. I know the smell of bleach.

1579. Hit him with the bleach! Hit him with the bleach!

1580. Then it just stopped.

1581. And...

1582. they ran off.

1583. And I... Then I looked down, and I see

1584. that there's a rope around my neck.

1585. You hadn't noticed it before...

1586. No. 'Cause it was so fast.

1587. I noticed the rope around my neck,

1588. and I started screaming.

1589. And I said, "There's a rope around my neck.

1590. If the attackers are never found,

1591. how will you be able to heal?

1592. Um...

1593. I don't know.

1594. Let's just hope that they are.

1595. You know what I'm saying?

1596. Like, let's... let's not go there yet.

1597. On second thought,

1598. I don't really feel like Subway.

1599. Hi, Robin.

1600. Robin DiAngelo.

1601. It's an honor.

1602. It's an honor to meet you.

1603. It... Damn it.

1604. It's nice to meet you, Robin DiAngelo.

1605. Dr. Robin DiAngelo.

1606. Is there a, uh, Mr. DiAngelo?

1607. Asking for a friend.

1608. Someone of your esteemed...

1609. Stupid.

1610. Robin. Would you sign my book?

1611. Your book. Would you sign my book I have of yours?

1612. I'm pleading with you to sign my...

1613. Please, would you sign my book?

1614. "To your friend, uh, Matt."

1615. Okay.

1616. This is it.

1617. Don't screw this up.

1618. Don't mess this up.

1619. Let's do the work.

1620. - Hi, Robin. - Hi.

1621. And what's your name?

1622. - I'm Matt. - Matt. Hi, Matt.

1623. Nice to meet you.

1624. I just had to ask who you are because

1625. you have to be careful.

1626. You can never be too careful.

1627. Let's... Let's start with the book.

1628. One of the most important books of the past century,

1629. I would say, for my money, White Fragility.

1630. Uh, you've been in this field for a long time.

1631. You've done a lot.

1632. What sort of organizations have you, uh, worked with?

1633. Do you want me to name?

1634. Oh, sure. I mean...

1635. Should I name it? I...

1636. Okay. Well, but I don't want to be held responsible

1637. for what they do.

1638. Netflix.

1639. Google. Amazon. Snapchat.

1640. And what do you do for them?

1641. Sometimes it's a workshop, or it's interactive.

1642. Maybe it would take place over several hours or a day.

1643. Let's start with some definitions.

1644. And probably the biggest one to define is racism.

1645. Well, if you're talking about a white person,

1646. and you say this person is racist,

1647. you're basically, to me, saying this person

1648. is a product of their society.

1649. Is it possible for a white person

1650. to be not racist?

1651. I think, in a given moment, we can be more or less racist.

1652. We're... And so I think of it

1653. more as a continuum than an either-or.

1654. Is there any way to get rid of, uh, white privilege?

1655. If an individual says,

1656. "I don't want to have this privilege, it feels unfair."

1657. Is there any way for a man to say,

1658. "I don't want this privilege"? I mean, we live in patriarchy.

1659. And you can't just opt out.

1660. You can do your best to challenge it.

1661. That, in a way, is opting out.

1662. That confuses me too,

1663. because I don't want to mansplain

1664. - or whitesplain... - Yeah. Well, okay.

1665. What is... Maybe that's important.

1666. - Yeah. - Segue. What is "mansplain"?

1667. Well, it would be you explaining to me

1668. either why what you just did wasn't sexism?

1669. Or explaining...

1670. I don't think that's what it is.

1671. I think "mansplain" is to make an assumption.

1672. To say something in an assuming way.

1673. You talked about the problem of, uh...

1674. of over-smiling...

1675. which

1676. really resonated with me.

1677. Sometimes smiling at a Black person

1678. can... can be racist.

1679. It's a reminder. You know, those thousand daily cuts.

1680. It's a reminder of your position

1681. in relation to that other person, right?

1682. Because that person likely knows

1683. why I'm smiling at them.

1684. When I go to the grocery store,

1685. I don't really look at anybody,

1686. I just do my thing, but I see a Black person,

1687. I... I feel almost an uncontrollable

1688. sense of urgency to signal to them

1689. that I'm okay, and that I'm not racist,

1690. and that they're welcome.

1691. Is it the right strategy to be...

1692. for a white person to say,

1693. "Well, hey, I'm just going to operate

1694. "in this situation as a normal person.

1695. "I'm not gonna think about race.

1696. "I'm not gonna notice." Just see people

1697. as human beings. Is that the way it works?

1698. Yeah, no. First of all, you do see them as a Black person.

1699. You do. I mean, I'm not gonna pretend

1700. I don't notice that there's a Black person

1701. - in the grocery store. - So we want to notice race,

1702. but not... not too much.

1703. We want to be honest that we do.

1704. We do notice race.

1705. We don't notice it. Don't focus on it.

1706. - Yeah. Okay. - But think about it.

1707. But...

1708. I mean, you notice it.

1709. Focus on it a little bit, but not too much.

1710. Yeah. You know, there's a... It's a balance, right?

1711. 'Cause I hear "forget that I'm Black.

1712. "Don't forget that I'm Black.

1713. "Notice. Don't notice.

1714. "Don't deny that you're racist.

1715. "But also try not to be racist.

1716. "But don't... But also don't realize that you..."

1717. It makes me...

1718. - Yeah. - It makes me, uh...

1719. I'm sorry. I...

1720. - It's okay. - It just...

1721. - It makes me feel overwhelmed. - Yeah. Yeah.

1722. Just take your time.

1723. I know you work on this in your seminars.

1724. People, uh, workshopping actual real-life scenarios.

1725. So would you mind, kind of a role play where...

1726. - Okay. - ... I will, in this scenario,

1727. be the person of color who's bringing concern to you,

1728. and then you'll show how to navigate that?

1729. Sure.

1730. Okay. So, workplace scenario.

1731. - Hi, Robin. - Hi.

1732. I noticed, uh, you passed by me in the hall

1733. earlier today

1734. and you were really overdoing the smile,

1735. and it made me feel, um,

1736. patronized and it felt racist.

1737. And...

1738. I'm thinking about going to HR about it.

1739. Well, I appreciate you letting me know,

1740. and I imagine that's not without its risks.

1741. I certainly would not have intended

1742. to have that impact on you, but I'm very clear

1743. that I did have that impact on you.

1744. I would love to offer you a repair,

1745. if... if that's something you're ready for.

1746. I don't want to talk about it right now.

1747. - Okay. - Because I'm too... I'm hurt.

1748. Okay. Understood.

1749. Um, if that changes, let me know.

1750. When I'm ready to talk, I'll talk to you.

1751. Yeah. Understood.

1752. What I would like to do, could we...

1753. Let's fast-forward to another day.

1754. - Next day. - Okay.

1755. Hi, Robin.

1756. Passed by in the hall again and...

1757. this time, you didn't even smile at all at me...

1758. - Okay. - ... and it made me feel

1759. otherized, excluded, marginalized, um...

1760. vaporized...

1761. Now I'm really thinking about going to HR.

1762. - I don't feel comfortable... - Yeah.

1763. with you in this workplace with me.

1764. Okay. And yesterday,

1765. we had the over-smiling incident.

1766. - Yeah. Now it's under. - Okay.

1767. It's under-smiling.

1768. I would say, um,

1769. "I'm a little bit... I'm a little bit, um,

1770. "confused about how best to proceed.

1771. "I can't deny that I am, um...

1772. "Would you be willing to give me some guidance..."

1773. I don't think it's up to me

1774. - to educate you. - Understood.

1775. Is there anyone you trust, uh, that I can talk to?

1776. Maybe another white person whose understanding...

1777. At this point, I think

1778. we should take separate hallways.

1779. Okay.

1780. - So... - Understood.

1781. That was a very nuanced, uh, situation.

1782. Yeah, uh, I did my best.

1783. Probably what I would do in that situation.

1784. The very last thing that I want to do,

1785. and, uh, it doesn't even feel right to me

1786. to end this conversation,

1787. uh, especially when there are people of color

1788. - in the room. - Okay.

1789. Ben, if you're willing

1790. to come and sit with us for just a moment.

1791. - Sure. - Um...

1792. So is Ben...

1793. Yeah. This is Ben, uh, producer on the film.

1794. And, um...

1795. I thought it would be a powerful opportunity to

1796. speak directly to a person of color and

1797. confront our racism and also apologize for

1798. the white supremacist systems that oppress Ben,

1799. so do you want to go first?

1800. Well, on behalf of myself and my fellow white people,

1801. I apologize.

1802. Uh, it is not you, it is us.

1803. As long as I'm standing, I will do my best

1804. to challenge it.

1805. I want to pay you reparations right now.

1806. Um, will you accept?

1807. I... I won't turn it down.

1808. Okay. I don't know...

1809. um...

1810. is 20... well...

1811. This is all I have. Um...

1812. I, uh...

1813. - I know that's not... - Um...

1814. That's not gonna...

1815. That doesn't make up for 400 years of oppression,

1816. but, um, it's all that I have to give.

1817. Um...

1818. I... I don't know if it's ever enough.

1819. Uh, but what I can say is I appreciate the fact

1820. that you're putting in the work.

1821. Um, you know, I... I think you're right.

1822. I don't think... I don't think it'll ever end.

1823. But, uh, there is...

1824. there is small progress I think we made today.

1825. Um...

1826. Did you... Did you want to...

1827. - That... - ... pay any, uh...

1828. That was really weird.

1829. Why was it weird?

1830. Uh... Uh, 'cause it seemed really weird to me.

1831. Why?

1832. Um, because you just took out your wallet,

1833. and I don't know, it...

1834. 'Cause I think reparations is like a...

1835. a systemic, um...

1836. dynamic and approach and so, I mean, I think that

1837. there may be some people who would be offended by, uh...

1838. Clearly, you were not offended by that.

1839. I... I won't turn down cash.

1840. - Um... - Hmm.

1841. I think, are we gonna...

1842. Are we gonna allow ourselves to be uncomfortable and...

1843. and just do what we can personally,

1844. or we gonna sit around,

1845. waiting for the system to catch up?

1846. Yeah. They go together, right?

1847. Yeah. But this... this is something

1848. that I can do right now.

1849. Why wouldn't I do it?

1850. Well, clearly, I mean, you did it,

1851. and he... he was comfortable with it.

1852. I just, it seems like it's...

1853. uh, not a systemic approach.

1854. - Or it just seemed... - It's not.

1855. 'Cause I'm not waiting for the system.

1856. - I'm acting as an individual. - Yeah.

1857. I can go get some cash, for sure.

1858. In my... Yeah.

1859. If that's something you... you think...

1860. Yeah. I don't mind.

1861. Um...

1862. If that would be something

1863. that would be comfortable for you.

1864. - Yeah. - Okay. Cool.

1865. - That's all the cash I have. - Oh, well, you know.

1866. I don't usually carry cash.

1867. - Thanks. - You're welcome!

1868. Um...

1869. This is powerful to me. I thank you for...

1870. Sure.

1871. for doing that.

1872. Well, the last thing is, will you sign my book?

1873. Oh, of course.

1874. If you don't mind.

1875. I'm definitely gonna process that.

1876. The student has become the teacher.

1877. My moment has finally arrived.

1878. It's time to show other white people

1879. how to do the work.

1880. And make a little money in the process.

1881. I'm taking everything I've learned

1882. on my anti-racist journey

1883. and turning it into my own online DEI course.

1884. Now anybody can earn their own DEI certificate.

1885. And I've already made $3,248.

1886. But for a more in-depth approach,

1887. I'm rolling out an in-person workshop.

1888. I'm calling it the Do the Work! Workshop.

1889. With the purpose of providing practical and innovative,

1890. long-lasting solutions

1891. to promote equality in our society,

1892. Do the Work! Workshop was born.

1893. Our next guest offers a bold and uncompromising workshop

1894. that aims to bring lasting change.

1895. So what you're doing is you're stretching,

1896. you're stretching,

1897. and this is more for you and less for you.

1898. You're stretching up like this,

1899. - and you're stretching out. - Mm-hmm.

1900. What you're doing is you're stretching

1901. out of your whiteness.

1902. Okay, so you're decentering your whiteness.

1903. You're stretching out of your whiteness.

1904. And you're bringing those

1905. other experiences into yourself.

1906. What exactly does it mean

1907. to do the work with Do the Work! Workshop?

1908. What does it mean to you to do the work?

1909. There's a reason we say "do the work."

1910. And it is a work that you have to do.

1911. It's right there in the name.

1912. You know, what is the work?

1913. It's the work that we're doing.

1914. It's about the doing, and it's also about the work.

1915. What is to do? It is to do the thing.

1916. We might also use the analogy,

1917. another one I like, of raking leaves.

1918. Uh, the leaves of racism are falling.

1919. We're raking them, they keep falling.

1920. We rake them.

1921. Uh, but you don't get to a point where you say,

1922. "Well, I'm done with the leaves."

1923. Then you have leaves all over the yard.

1924. How can somebody get involved

1925. if they're watching this right now?

1926. Where can people get ahold of you

1927. and see you for your next workshop?

1928. We're doing the work as we speak.

1929. The workshop is happening

1930. this fall if you would like to sign up.

1931. You don't need to bring anything with you

1932. but an open mind.

1933. We're not letting anyone in who doesn't have an open mind.

1934. Uh, also, there's a fee, of course, uh, as well.

1935. That's described in the...

1936. on the website but, you know,

1937. the open mind is the main thing.

1938. Matt, the certified DEI.

1939. Thank you so much for being here.

1940. Thank you so much.

1941. Finding white people willing to do the work

1942. isn't exactly easy.

1943. So I also advertised my workshop on craigslist

1944. which, as we know, is the best place

1945. for finding white people who are willing to do

1946. just about anything.

1947. Who's ready to do the work? Anybody?

1948. I know I am.

1949. Welcome to the Do the Work! Workshop.

1950. Thank you all for being here.

1951. Listen, let's get the credentials

1952. out of the way upfront.

1953. Um, I am a certified

1954. diversity, equity, and inclusion expert.

1955. Um, I have the card and all that,

1956. but I keep the card in the back pocket

1957. for this because I'm just a person on a journey,

1958. just like many of you.

1959. But by the end of the nine steps,

1960. you're gonna start to feel more like an anti-racist ally.

1961. That ultimately is our goal here.

1962. Let's dive in right away with step one.

1963. And here's what we reflect

1964. both externally and internally.

1965. It's all about adopting an appropriate,

1966. uh, attitude of humility,

1967. and also realizing that racism lurks,

1968. uh, many places in society we don't expect it.

1969. This may seem a little strange.

1970. So I look around the room and point to

1971. who we believe, just by looking,

1972. is the most racist person in the room.

1973. If you could point.

1974. I'm out, guys.

1975. - Appreciate y'all. - Yeah.

1976. - Have a lovely day. - Thank you.

1977. I appreciate it, but this is definitely not my...

1978. That's uncomfortable.

1979. This is where I'm pointing.

1980. 'Cause why don't we think about pointing at ourselves?

1981. Why would we rather get up and leave the room?

1982. Let's go to step two.

1983. This is a pretty simple, basic anti-racism concept.

1984. Racism is non-binary. What does that mean?

1985. It means racism is on a spectrum.

1986. What does that mean? It means that racism is fluid.

1987. You might move up or down.

1988. So you might say, "Well,

1989. "I'm kind of a three on the racism scale."

1990. Uh, but there may be moments when you're a six,

1991. when you're a nine, God forbid.

1992. You all have numbers on your desks,

1993. and those are magnetized.

1994. Where do you think that you are

1995. on this scale right now?

1996. Wherever you would judge yourself.

1997. Hmm.

1998. So, everybody wants to be...

1999. obviously, we've got a little bit of a traffic jam

2000. over at zero, one, two.

2001. Let's just keep that, we'll keep that up there.

2002. We're gonna keep that in mind as we move on.

2003. Now, next we move on to what this whole workshop

2004. is really about, which is uncomfortable conversations.

2005. Because until we're willing to talk about these things,

2006. um, healing can't really begin.

2007. So I want you to think back

2008. to a racist moment in your life.

2009. Just something that you remember

2010. you did or said.

2011. You wish you could take it back.

2012. But how does the healing start

2013. if we're not willing to admit and talk about it?

2014. I'll give you a racist moment of mine

2015. from two months ago.

2016. And I'll tell you exactly what happened.

2017. I was at a traffic light,

2018. in my car,

2019. I see a Black man, man of color,

2020. appears to be walking up to my car.

2021. What'd I do, I check to make sure

2022. the doors are locked.

2023. And immediately I thought,

2024. I hope he didn't hear that little click sound.

2025. Why did I do that?

2026. I thought he might be trying to carjack me.

2027. Unconscious bias.

2028. Now, in this case, the guy behind me did get carjacked.

2029. But does that mean

2030. that the assumption was fair?

2031. Anybody else would like to share?

2032. Number eight? Racist moment.

2033. When I was getting my license when I was 16,

2034. I was in the DMV, and I was really stressed out.

2035. It was, like, a terrible day.

2036. Despacito was a song playing on the radio,

2037. and I was just, like, so annoyed by it.

2038. I was like, "Oh my God, I've heard this song

2039. "so many times," and I just sort of, like, blurted out,

2040. and I was like, "Oh God, like,

2041. "can you please turn off the song?"

2042. The guy at the DMV was a Puerto Rico guy,

2043. and he just got really, like,

2044. offended by it, and I was like,

2045. "I'm so sorry, like, I really didn't mean that.

2046. "I just kind of yelled at the song

2047. "just 'cause I was feeling bad inside,

2048. "but it just came off really bad."

2049. And I still feel bad about that every day.

2050. It was racist.

2051. We're not here to lie to ourselves.

2052. Now things are getting heated up.

2053. Now we move on to step six.

2054. Over-smiling.

2055. When you're in a room with a Black person

2056. or person of color, there's this compulsion

2057. that people have to smile too much.

2058. You're overcompensating.

2059. I like to put words into action,

2060. so Ben, if you wouldn't mind. Ben.

2061. Uh, let's... for Ben here. Thank you.

2062. Thanks, Ben. Now, Ben is going to stand here, and

2063. let's try to look at Ben

2064. in the least racist way that we know how.

2065. Well, number two, you're not even looking at him.

2066. I think he's not looking at us, so it's kind of awkward

2067. to look at someone like they're a specimen.

2068. If that makes sense.

2069. Like the... the exercise itself

2070. is a little awkward, and...

2071. It's not his job as a Black man

2072. to make us feel comfortable in this moment.

2073. That's not what I was saying though.

2074. Hmm.

2075. Thanks, Ben.

2076. Now we're gonna really take the gloves off.

2077. This is where things get real.

2078. White silence.

2079. White silence is when we remain silent

2080. in the face of bigotry and racism.

2081. Now, what we like to tell ourselves is that

2082. as long as I'm not using the N-word, okay?

2083. As long as I'm not voting for Donald Trump,

2084. I'm not racist.

2085. By not taking action in the face of racism,

2086. we are participating in that racism.

2087. But here's the good news,

2088. it's never too late to break the white silence

2089. and speak up against racism.

2090. Things are gonna really get uncomfortable now

2091. especially for me.

2092. Because what I want to do is lead by example.

2093. My uncle Frank is here today.

2094. Come on, bring my uncle Frank out.

2095. Thank you, Ben.

2096. Uncle Frank.

2097. It was 20 years ago

2098. that you sat at the dinner table with us,

2099. and not a day has gone by

2100. that I haven't thought about this.

2101. You sat at that dinner table,

2102. and you made what you said was a...

2103. "joke."

2104. You asked the question, what's the difference

2105. between a Mexican man and a picnic table?

2106. And the answer was,

2107. a picnic table can support a family of five.

2108. You're still laughing.

2109. We all laughed at the table.

2110. I laughed.

2111. But I was scared and confused.

2112. And I was a coward.

2113. But I'm not gonna be a coward anymore, uncle Frank.

2114. You had no right to make that joke!

2115. Latinx Americans, they come to this country

2116. and they work hard!

2117. And your little joke dehumanizes.

2118. It is not funny!

2119. Uncle Frank,

2120. it is not funny to mock marginalized people!

2121. It's not a joke!

2122. It's not funny...

2123. Uncle Frank.

2124. Okay. Who wants to go next?

2125. Does anybody have some words for Uncle Frank?

2126. We're breaking the white silence here today.

2127. Uh, number six, you're of Hispanic descent.

2128. What are your thoughts?

2129. Mm, I have a lot of thoughts,

2130. but I just feel like it would be wasted on him.

2131. But I do have one thing to say.

2132. If... With your permission.

2133. You.

2134. Yeah, man. You.

2135. Mm.

2136. I don't talk to anyone in my family

2137. because they're all racist white pieces of trash

2138. in a lot of different ways,

2139. but the racism is the biggest reason.

2140. I have cut off every person in my life,

2141. including my mother and father,

2142. grandparents, everything. I do not give a.

2143. Powerful.

2144. The message, it's clear.

2145. Okay, Ben.

2146. Uh, if you wouldn't mind.

2147. Thanks, Uncle Frank.

2148. See you this weekend.

2149. All right. Emotions are high,

2150. and this is where we finally get to step nine.

2151. We have to ask ourselves, are we ready for

2152. the healing pain?

2153. Now,

2154. this is when we get to the self-flagellation portion,

2155. which is the final step.

2156. - Wow. - Would you mind taking a whip?

2157. Thank you. Thank you.

2158. What is...

2159. Dude, this is ridiculous.

2160. - I'm outta here. You're nuts. - Me too.

2161. - I can't do this. - Um...

2162. I tried, man. I tried. I'm seriously done.

2163. I said it was gonna be uncomfortable.

2164. Why weren't they willing to whip themselves?

2165. Wait. Why were these people willing to whip themselves?

2166. None of this feels right.

2167. Um...

2168. Hang on.

2169. This is probably too far.

2170. Okay, the workshop's over. It's over.

2171. That was... That's step nine, so...

2172. Yeah, it's over. Seriously.

2173. Yep. Thanks. Okay.

2174. What am I doing?

2175. What have I become?

2176. Am I making the world better

2177. or am I just profiting on people's racial guilt?

2178. This is all wrong.

2179. I followed the anti-racist playbook,

2180. and it led to disaster.

2181. All across America,

2182. many companies have implemented a division

2183. of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

2184. And it's important to have this in the workplace

2185. no matter how big or small the organization may be.

2186. Joining us this morning is Matt,

2187. a certified diversity, equity, and inclusion expert.

2188. Good morning.

2189. Morning.

2190. Tell us about your journey.

2191. It hasn't been great, honestly. Um...

2192. Yeah.

2193. And what led you to host this workshop?

2194. Why is this an important initiative,

2195. and how did you go about putting the workshop together?

2196. We just did a workshop,

2197. uh,

2198. you know, it didn't go well. Honestly, I'd...

2199. It...

2200. I think it's doing more harm than good.

2201. This whole thing's a scam, I don't know.

2202. So when we think about diversity, equity,

2203. and inclusion, as we mentioned, there are,

2204. um, keys to what an organization should focus on.

2205. So what would you say is, uh, the key for the learning

2206. that we may want to be doing?

2207. Even if we're not quite there yet, right?

2208. Just, uh...

2209. Just go live your life.

2210. I gotta go.

2211. Black, right?

2212. Yeah. Thanks.

2213. Haven't seen you around here in a while.

2214. Yeah. I been out doing the work.

2215. Huh?

2216. Been doing the work.

2217. What does that mean?

2218. Well...

2219. White Fragility

2220. is a really great place to start.

2221. The reason we cannot be colorblind now,

2222. we're still working on the problem.

2223. I'm not going to pretend I don't notice

2224. that there's a Black person in the grocery store.

2225. DEI certified. I'm here to help.

2226. We live in a white supremacist society.

2227. Whiteness is even more insidious than I even knew.

2228. The only thing about white culture

2229. is buying things and stealing things.

2230. And whiteness also robs you of your brain.

2231. America is racist to its bones.

2232. - Um... - It has to burn.

2233. The entire system has to burn.

2234. "Why are you blaming me for what my ancestors did?

2235. "It's not my fault."

2236. We want to rename the George Washington Monument.

2237. This country is a piece of shit.

2238. Love is also

2239. not always patient and kind.

2240. It's not that much different than Nazi doctors.

2241. Republicans are Nazis.

2242. Kindness is not what is called for.

2243. It's not funny, Uncle Frank!

2244. You.

2245. I can go get some cash, for sure.

2246. Raise a glass if you're racist.

2247. Okay.

2248. Let me know if you need anything else.

2249. You know, this experience has really taught me something.

2250. The anti-racist industry says that America is racist

2251. down to its bones.

2252. And if that were true,

2253. there wouldn't be anything we could do about it.

2254. White people could only wallow in their guilt,

2255. and Black people in their victimhood...

2256. But it's a lie.

2257. It's a lie meant to manipulate us.

2258. Look, we'll never live in a utopia.

2259. We all know that.

2260. But we don't have to be held hostage

2261. by these race-baiting con artists

2262. who want us to be bitter and angry

2263. and resentful.

2264. They're selling us the disease.

2265. They're telling us there's no cure.

2266. They don't say that I'm racist,

2267. and you're a victim, because that's what they think we are.

2268. They tell us that

2269. because that's what they want us to be.

2270. Well, it's time for us to say no.

2271. Yeah! Yeah!

2272. Well, bless your heart.

2273. I got a lot of tables.

2274. Hey. You wanna hear a joke?

2275. Thank you for calling the Boulder Bookstore.

2276. How can I help you?

2277. Hi. I was just in the other day,

2278. and I saw a certain book that, uh,

2279. I wasn't ready to read at the time,

2280. but I think I'm ready. I wanted to see if you guys

2281. still have it in stock.

2282. Yeah, what was the title?

2283. Uh, it starts... So it starts with an "N."

2284. Um...

2285. I don't remember the...

2286. I don't remember the author.

2287. Um...

2288. It... It's...

2289. You don't know the title of the book either?

2290. Well, it... it's, uh...

2291. 'Cause it got... It's kind of...

2292. It starts with an "N" and there's kind of, uh...

2293. Well, there's...

2294. It's like there's... there's a vowel, there's consonants,

2295. there's a vowel. Um...

2296. It... It's one word.

2297. I really... I don't know how to look it up

2298. without the title or the author.

2299. Well, it's got kind of... So it starts with an "N."

2300. And then it's got kind of, sort of, it's got an "I,"

2301. uh, there, it... it's...

2302. I guess... I mean, we've got thousands of books,

2303. so I don't really know how to look it up

2304. with just knowing the two... first two letters.

2305. It's "N-I..." So it's like an "N-I..."

2306. There's the... It's a "G..."

2307. is in there, and there's another one.

2308. Let me put you on a brief hold and go check.

2309. Thanks for holding. Um, I'm not seeing anything.

2310. I mean, maybe try to think of the title

2311. - if you can and call back? - Well, it's...

2312. Sorry, sorry. I... I know the title.

2313. I just can't... I can't say the title.

2314. - And I... - Okay.

2315. I don't know. I don't think you can say it either,

2316. so I don't...

2317. It's a very... It's a triggering title.

2318. Uh, it actually rhymes with "trigger," actually,

2319. and, uh, so...

2320. but that's what I was wondering,

2321. if it was there.

2322. Um, I mean, I didn't see it when I just went and looked.

2323. Okay. But you know what I'm talking about?

2324. Yeah.

2325. It... It's that book.

2326. - Yeah. - Okay.

2327. - Okay. Have a good day.