Am I Racist? (2024)

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2. One minute.

3. One minute.

4. Hi. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

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

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

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

8. What is a certified DEI expert?

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

10. of diversity and inclusion.

11. And, um, speaking of journeys, you know, X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 And, um, speaking of journeys, you know,

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

13. We covered this in the workshop.

14. I'd like to start with

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

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

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

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

19. that this broadcast is airing in the traditional lands

20. of the Ute, the Paiute,

21. the Goshute, and the Shoshone tribes.

22. These are the peoples who call this land home

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

24. And this is a lot of things

25. that we don't necessarily think about. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 that we don't necessarily think about.

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

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

28. - in your workshops. - Yeah.

29. If you wouldn't mind,

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

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

32. So, can we all do it together?

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

34. - Okay. - Okay.

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

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

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

38. You're stretching up like this,

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

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

41. out of your whiteness.

42. Okay, so you're decentering your whiteness. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 Okay, so you're decentering your whiteness.

43. You're stretching out of your whiteness.

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

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

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

47. With the man bun and the skinny jeans

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

49. If you don't know,

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

51. It's all the rage right now.

52. But you're still probably asking,

53. what am I doing on this TV show?

54. How did I get there? X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 How did I get there?

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

56. Well, it's a complicated story.

57. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

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

59. Growing up in the '90s,

60. I never thought much about race.

61. I mean, yeah, sure,

62. you noticed if somebody was Black

63. or white or Mexican, or whatever, X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 or white or Mexican, or whatever,

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

65. At least not to me.

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

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

68. I think that there is a significant portion,

69. um, that are racist

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

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

72. It's all over the media.

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

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

75. Race in America.

76. Black, Latino,

77. and Indigenous people are suffering and dying...

78. Violent, white supremacy. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 Violent, white supremacy.

79. - White... - White...

80. - White entitlement. - This is America.

81. Overnight growing national unrest.

82. We've gotta do the work.

83. - Coffee? - Yes. Thank you.

84. How do you take it?

85. Black.

86. That was awkward. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 That was awkward.

87. Should I not have said "black"?

88. That's how I like my coffee.

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

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

91. Okay, that does sound racist.

92. Wait, am I racist?

93. What is racism?

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

95. Preferably someone outside of my bubble.

96. Somebody who can speak with authority

97. about the Black experience in America.

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

99. This is Kate Slater.

100. She's an anti-racist scholar and educator. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 She's an anti-racist scholar and educator.

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

102. And you are the co-creator

103. of something called the Anti-Racist

104. - Roadmap. - Roadmap. Yeah.

105. So, what... what is that?

106. After 2020, we saw

107. a lot of white people saying,

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

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

110. So what is the work?

111. 'Cause I wanna do...

112. - The work. - Do that.

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

114. What is the work?

115. I think, for white folks, the work is X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 I think, for white folks, the work is

116. reallocating our resources and privileges

117. to balance out systemic inequities.

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

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

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

121. "to that Black or brown person,"

122. because that's the work.

123. But they're never willing to interrupt

124. their shitty racist uncle.

125. That's a powerful example for me.

126. You mentioned a racist uncle.

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

128. Well, you're saying,

129. sometimes we have to confront those people.

130. Oh, absolutely. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 Oh, absolutely.

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

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

133. about their racism?

134. Before they can talk.

135. I mean it. I...

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

137. Why the hell not? Why the hell not?

138. My six-month-old...

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

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

141. So my daughter's four years old.

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

143. She's still watching Disney movies,

144. and she is choosing a white princess over X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 and she is choosing a white princess over

145. princesses of color.

146. Have you talked to her about that?

147. All the time.

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

149. Her favorite princess is Moana.

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

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

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

153. She wants to be Moana for Halloween.

154. Mm-hmm.

155. So, how do we navigate that?

156. Do I go and buy

157. the Pacific Islander native attire

158. for my white three-year-old?

159. Um, I wouldn't. I wouldn't. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 Um, I wouldn't. I wouldn't.

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

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

162. On the other hand,

163. there's gravitating towards white characters.

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

165. no matter which way you go,

166. - you end up back... - Right.

167. in racism.

168. We think every space belongs to us

169. because we live in a white supremacist society.

170. Is America an inherently racist country?

171. I think the word "inherent" is challenging there. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 I think the word "inherent" is challenging there.

172. - If we say... - Fundamentally.

173. Fundamentally, yes.

174. America is racist to its bones.

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

176. Yeah.

177. Just to put it as bluntly as possible,

178. am I racist?

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

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

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

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

183. So the answer's yes, I am racist. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 So the answer's yes, I am racist.

184. You said it

185. What do you recommend to people for resources

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

187. Go to the bookstore

188. if you're not reading these books.

189. And then applying what you've learned,

190. taking what you read about and saying,

191. "Hey, racist uncle,

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

193. That you're no good.

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

195. I haven't confronted him.

196. But it's not ever too late.

197. No.

198. No.

199. Sometimes it means having the conversation X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 Sometimes it means having the conversation

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

201. you've been putting off for years.

202. Hmm.

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

204. America is racist down to its bones.

205. And my Uncle Frank,

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

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

208. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

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

210. uh, kind of all throughout the store.

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

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

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

214. we keep over here.

215. This is all anti-racism?

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

217. and a lot of the history of racism,

218. particularly in the United States.

219. Am I even allowed to touch this one?

220. Some of these books are provocative. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 Some of these books are provocative.

221. Yes. Definitely.

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

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

224. I would not perhaps say the title.

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

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

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

228. If you were looking for that in particular.

229. That's probably a level up

230. from where I am.

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

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

233. Start with one book, let it sit, see how you feel. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

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

235. into a place where it's like,

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

237. These are all staff recommendations.

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

239. and they're all pretty fun.

240. Dumb question. You said diverse authors.

241. What's a diverse person?

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

243. essentially.

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

245. Native American, Asian...

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

247. Well...

248. Unless you're... say, gay. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 Unless you're... say, gay.

249. Yeah. I mean,

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

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

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

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

254. straight, cisgender person, usually a man,

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

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

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

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

259. White Women, uh,

260. by Regina Jackson and Saira Rao.

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

262. Basically, this book is saying, like, X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 Basically, this book is saying, like,

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

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

265. White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo.

266. Hearing from another white person

267. about ways to have these conversations,

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

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

270. Well, a lot to learn,

271. but we have all the materials here,

272. I think...

273. to start the journey.

274. Beautiful bookstore.

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

276. Thank you. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

277. Have a good day.

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

279. catapulted to the top

280. o f the New York Times best sellers' list.

281. Robin DiAngelo is a sociologist,

282. and she's author of this book.

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

284. Everyone else in the world has.

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

286. the Bible for white people... X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 the Bible for white people...

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

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

289. New York Times best-selling list

290. for the third year.

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

292. "Anti-Blackness is foundational

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

294. As a white person,

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

296. That's how difficult we are.

297. Wow.

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

299. Yeah.

300. "White identity is inherently racist. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 "White identity is inherently racist.

301. "White people do not exist

302. "outside the system of white supremacy."

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

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

305. And I would just ask white Americans

306. to remove that phrase from their vocabulary.

307. "I'm not racist."

308. "Anger, fear, and guilts,

309. "and behavior such as argumentation silence

310. "and withdrawal. These responses work to

311. "maintain our dominance within the racial hierarchy.

312. "I conceptualize this process as white fragility." X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 "I conceptualize this process as white fragility."

313. Robin DiAngelo was right.

314. Coming to terms with my whiteness

315. was not going to be easy.

316. Fortunately, I found a support group

317. that can help me with my white privilege,

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

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

320. so, obviously, she must be the best. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

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

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

323. Maybe I'll use a different name

324. to help me blend in.

325. Whatever it takes to continue this journey.

326. All right. So, typically, I like

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

328. so if you feel comfortable,

329. please ground yourself in your seats.

330. Close your eyes

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

332. Whatever that means. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

333. Are we meditating?

334. Okay. Sorry. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

335. When you are ready, open your eyes

336. and rejoin the space.

337. All right. So is everybody excited

338. to talk about anti-racism and grief?

339. Absolutely.

340. Okay.

341. So, I usually like to get this started

342. by just introducing ourselves.

343. If you could please pronounce your name. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 If you could please pronounce your name.

344. Uh, please share your pronouns,

345. how you're feeling today,

346. as well as the weirdest compliment

347. you have ever received.

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

349. I'm feeling excited today.

350. And then the weirdest compliment

351. I think I've ever received...

352. I was in the online dating sphere,

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

354. Oh, my God.

355. Um...

356. If you wanna stand, you can,

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

358. Uh, I'm Steven.

359. Uh, pronouns, I'll... X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 Uh, pronouns, I'll...

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

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

362. Mm-hmm.

363. Uh, present.

364. A little hungry. But...

365. The strangest compliment I've ever gotten

366. is I've been complimented, uh,

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

368. Hmm. in the past.

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

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

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

372. That's what people have said, so... X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

373. Hmm.

374. Thank you, everybody,

375. for being willing to participate

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

377. We will not end systemic racism.

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

379. that has been around for 400 years,

380. and has effectively and efficiently

381. destroyed the lives of millions of people.

382. You all have been grandfathered into the system.

383. We are here to focus on you

384. and your experience and your grief

385. because that is the source

386. of downstream anti-Blackness and racism. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 of downstream anti-Blackness and racism.

387. And quite frankly, I pray to God

388. you all feel this uncomfortable.

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

390. if you are truly looking at what white supremacy

391. has done to not only, um,

392. African Americans, but to yourselves.

393. You are here to sit amidst whatever suffering

394. and pain you are experiencing

395. for the sake of the liberation of others.

396. That is love.

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

398. with a Christian background. I did. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 with a Christian background. I did.

399. Uh...

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

401. When we are talking about systemic oppression,

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

403. patience is not needed.

404. People are dying.

405. Kindness is not what is called for.

406. We are here to talk about the fact

407. that Black Americans are not safe.

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

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

410. I'm not safe.

411. But I do them out of necessity.

412. Why are you... X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

413. Why are you not safe in the circle?

414. Being an African American

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

416. or emotionally.

417. We will go into more depth about that,

418. but I appreciate that question.

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

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

421. There is a room to the left.

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

423. interfering with the group process,

424. I kindly ask you to step aside.

425. Um, so can we start with you? X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 Um, so can we start with you?

426. I'm here because...

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

428. and that doesn't feel good.

429. And my promise to the Black community

430. is to lean into

431. being brave and uncomfortable,

432. and to love in inconvenient ways.

433. Thank you.

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

435. a brighter future, uh, for myself

436. and for, you know, hopefully, the world. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 and for, you know, hopefully, the world.

437. My promise to myself is love.

438. To love myself.

439. Which is so important,

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

441. I've struggled so much with it

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

443. My promise to the Black communities...

444. to be so much better.

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

446. To be better in so many better ways.

447. To better myself. To better the world. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 To better myself. To better the world.

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

449. I haven't been.

450. But I'm going to be.

451. That's my promise.

452. Thank you.

453. Oh.

454. I am here with the intention

455. to understand

456. and learn and, um... X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 and learn and, um...

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

458. I forgot one other thing I wanted to promise

459. - the Black community. - Um...

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

461. each other during the group.

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

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

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

465. Are we going to circle back around?

466. No. No. Uh...

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

468. But I want to be very sure

469. that we respect everybody's time.

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

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

472. Well, thank you. Please continue.

473. The promise that I am making to myself X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 The promise that I am making to myself

474. is to be elastic.

475. To use my voice and my privilege,

476. to be heard.

477. Uh, to...

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

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

480. If we think about the construction of whiteness

481. as an identity,

482. it makes sense that the seeds of white supremacy

483. are buried within your subconscious,

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

485. It is often uncommon for white Americans

486. to be aware of their privilege, X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 to be aware of their privilege,

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

488. You said, a moment ago...

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

490. Uh, yes. Ask a question.

491. You said, a moment ago,

492. that the seeds of white supremacy

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

494. How do we get them out?

495. That's what the presentation...

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

497. If there is another interruption,

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

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

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

501. Leave for good? X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

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

503. and participate without interruption.

504. - Yeah? - That's fair.

505. Okay. Thank you.

506. White supremacy has essentially created a system

507. driven by grief,

508. and that is why we are here to discuss

509. white grief in particular.

510. I would like you to close your eyes

511. and spend the next 30 seconds

512. thinking about,

513. what does that loss feel like in your body? X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 what does that loss feel like in your body?

514. It feels like a thousand knives

515. plunging into my soul.

516. And a sack being...

517. hit by bats and bricks.

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

519. Thank you.

520. That's what it feels like.

521. And it's very... it's...

522. - Oh, um... - What?

523. We're moving to her now.

524. I... I didn't finish. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 I... I didn't finish.

525. Please finish.

526. Um...

527. The sack's thrown into the ocean,

528. then the sack's taken out,

529. and it's set on fire.

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

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

532. For better or worse. So...

533. And that has come with a cost.

534. How long will it take until

535. the next microaggression comes up?

536. These are things that I carry every time X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 These are things that I carry every time

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

538. You're safe here.

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

540. in this room...

541. I...

542. - One more interruption... - White folks.

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

544. Okay. I just wanted to reassure you.

545. Thank you. I appreciate that.

546. - I just want to. - Thanks.

547. So, what do you feel in your body

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

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

550. "Cringe" is a good word.

551. - Cringe? Yeah? - I couldn't pick a word, X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 - Cringe? Yeah? - I couldn't pick a word,

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

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

554. inside, like a gut...

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

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

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

558. at whiteness as, um, that lie.

559. Just, "ugh!"

560. Mm-hmm. Thank you.

561. The thing about...

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

563. Thank you. Appreciate that.

564. The thing about...

565. Which one is the cry room? X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 Which one is the cry room?

566. The second door to the left.

567. Thank you.

568. My time in the cry room

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

570. but with me out of the room,

571. the group put two and two together and realized

572. who I actually was.

573. Not a guy named Steven.

574. When I finally returned,

575. things were drastically different.

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

577. in the group feel that there's something in themselves X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 in the group feel that there's something in themselves

578. that they have to overcome.

579. When all that's

580. being requested of you...

581. is that you be.

582. - Hello. - Hi.

583. How are you?

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

585. - You good? - Yeah.

586. Remind me of your name again?

587. Uh... Uh, Steven.

588. Steven? Yeah? Okay.

589. Um...

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

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

592. Sure. What do you want me to share? X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 Sure. What do you want me to share?

593. Whatever's on your mind.

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

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

596. Why would your physical safety not be okay?

597. Did I miss something?

598. I don't feel comfortable.

599. What... Can you guys

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

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

602. We're gonna be silent.

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

604. It might have been 15. I...

605. It depends on how you count them. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

606. I would really appreciate it if you left,

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

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

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

610. I would like it if you left.

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

612. Come with me.

613. - Well... - Thank you.

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

615. I'm not offering to touch you.

616. I'm offering to walk you out.

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

618. Okay. I'll admit it.

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

620. Hmm.

621. Maybe you already knew that.

622. My name is Matt Walsh. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 My name is Matt Walsh.

623. - Mm-hmm - Mm-hmm. We know.

624. I just was here on this...

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

626. I see that I'm not wanted.

627. If you were on your journey,

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

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

630. - Please leave. - Are you saying

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

632. I don't know. Maybe.

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

634. How did you get in here?

635. We all had an invitation.

636. - Maybe. - Yeah. Maybe.

637. Thank you so much.

638. I really had a transformative experience myself. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 I really had a transformative experience myself.

639. And my pronouns are he/him.

640. I did everything I could to fit in.

641. I opened up.

642. I was raw and emotional.

643. I told them about my Black friends.

644. It was no use. They rejected me.

645. And they called the police.

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

647. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

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

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

650. I'll always be an outsider.

651. I need to go deeper undercover.

652. A whole new identity.

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

654. Like someone who is progressive,

655. tolerant, enlightened.

656. Let me think.

657. Have I ever met anyone like that?

658. Ah, yes.

659. Yes, I have. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

660. What is a woman?

661. Why do you ask that question?

662. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

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

664. And it's not gonna be cheap.

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

666. - Nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you.

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

668. What is race?

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

670. Did race exist as a reality before?

671. We made race exist.

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

673. then what is racism?

674. Robin DiAngelo, so she's the author

675. of the book, White Fragility.

676. She talks about the system of racism

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

678. This is why a conversation about reparations

679. and about repair is important. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 and about repair is important.

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

681. Martin Luther King said, not to judge people

682. by the color of their skin.

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

684. but he knew about institutional,

685. interpersonal and internalized racism.

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

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

688. How do I get down from the top

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

690. Um...

691. I don't think you necessarily can.

692. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

693. The reason we cannot be colorblind now

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

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

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

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

698. I'm DEI certified.

699. - What? - What?

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

701. Oh, good.

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

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

704. in diversity, equity, and inclusion.

705. Just got my certification. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 Just got my certification.

706. Just letting you know I am DEI certified.

707. - DEI certified. - What is DEI?

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

709. these kinds of important dialogues.

710. So I guess I'll start with,

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

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

713. and where you are on that journey.

714. - "Decentering my whiteness." - Yeah.

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

716. and decentralize it?

717. I recently actually took a masters level course,

718. um, about inclusion and diversity. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 um, about inclusion and diversity.

719. Have you heard of DiversityAndlnclusion.com?

720. I have not.

721. Couple of different prestigious institutions.

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

723. There were some things that,

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

725. during that course that I had never...

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

727. Um, just about my own thinking.

728. When you start thinking about how you feel,

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

730. Does that make sense?

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

732. Um...

733. All I know is that, like,

734. I am white, and I am not racist. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 I am white, and I am not racist.

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

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

737. Yeah, the more you talk about it,

738. the more you are blatantly acknowledging race.

739. And if you wanna forget it...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

747. but we can all agree

748. that you guys have some things to learn.

749. I feel like you're the most racist person X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 I feel like you're the most racist person

750. I've ever talked to.

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

752. You just sound like a really racist person.

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

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

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

756. We can't all be certified experts.

757. I mean, I am,

758. but we can't all be.

759. All right.

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

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

762. I think you got some journeying to do.

763. I know I make this look easy,

764. but DEI work is harder than you think. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 but DEI work is harder than you think.

765. I still have a lot to learn.

766. A viral video from September

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

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

769. You're... You're offensive.

770. You're making this space uncomfortable.

771. uncomfortable.

772. But you're white.

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

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

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

776. you can choose to be a cop,

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

778. and you're protecting that shit, X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 and you're protecting that shit,

779. which means that you're racist!

780. Meet the charming young lady from that video.

781. Sarra Tekola.

782. Founding member of Black Lives Matter, Phoenix.

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

784. something really important, I'm sure.

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

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

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

788. I'm a white guy myself.

789. What's up with white people?

790. Um, where do we start?

791. Let me reframe the question a little bit.

792. What's wrong with white people? X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 What's wrong with white people?

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

794. which allows, um, white people

795. to feel okay about what happened.

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

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

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

799. or white people around the world, right?

800. It's this splitting of the self.

801. And so, um,

802. you have this part of you that knows

803. that they did wrong, the shadow self, X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 that they did wrong, the shadow self,

804. and that you have to split that.

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

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

807. "Racism? Why are you blaming me

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

809. Is racism inherent to whiteness?

810. I would say so.

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

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

813. who don't fit into whiteness,

814. but when we look at white culture,

815. the only thing about white culture

816. is buying things and stealing things.

817. How do I...

818. confront my shadow, my shadow self? X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 confront my shadow, my shadow self?

819. Acknowledging the parts of you that are racist,

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

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

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

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

824. It's the splitting of the self.

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

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

827. The more that you can merge it together,

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

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

830. because the shadow self is racist,

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

832. - separate. - No. You have to. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 - separate. - No. You have to.

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

834. when you don't merge them together,

835. your shadow self is out here being racist,

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

837. because that self, right...

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

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

840. - Yeah. - ... not racist.

841. Yes.

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

843. on this anti-racist journey?

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

845. Our existence as Americans

846. is predicated on other people's suffering.

847. Learn about who is suffering X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 Learn about who is suffering

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

849. It is important to feel bad,

850. um, about what your ancestors did.

851. - Embrace the pain. - Yes.

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

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

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

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

856. one of my 17 Black friends,

857. to join me on my quest to change the world. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 to join me on my quest to change the world.

858. We have a petition.

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

860. We have a petition. We want to rename

861. the George Washington Monument.

862. To?

863. To the George Floyd Monument.

864. Because, of course,

865. George Washington was a slave owner.

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

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

868. you might say. Would you mind signing?

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

870. - Yeah. Sure. - Yeah.

871. Oh, man. I love that.

872. We're talking about painting it black.

873. We're gonna raise it 30%,

874. um, increasing it in height.

875. Excuse me, sir. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

876. Sir, we have a petition. Sir?

877. For historical inequities to redress...

878. Is there a Black person around here?

879. I would hug them and apologize to them

880. all day long for what happened.

881. There's a Black person right here.

882. Does he not exist?

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

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

885. marginalized communities.

886. Brother.

887. You are an American. I love you.

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

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

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

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

892. - I would like you to. - I can help you guys out. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 - I would like you to. - I can help you guys out.

893. Yeah. Thank you so much.

894. - Sign here? - Yes. Absolutely.

895. I think it's a beautiful idea.

896. You think it's a beautiful idea?

897. I do.

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

899. We have a petition for the...

900. to redress historical inequities.

901. Would you mind signing it?

902. You will?

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

904. to the George Floyd Monument.

905. Thank you so much.

906. Would you be willing to?

907. I can't agree with that.

908. - Will you sign it? - No.

909. So are you gonna erase all of them? X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 So are you gonna erase all of them?

910. Yes.

911. No.

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

913. Getting people to agree

914. to change the George Washington Monument

915. to the George Floyd Monument seemed ambitious.

916. I'm pleasantly surprised

917. people are willing to erase our problematic history.

918. I spend way too much time cleaning.

919. Oh, the broom shaka lakas

920. for more than just...

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

922. There's a controversial documentary out X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 There's a controversial documentary out

923. entitled Destructing Karen.

924. How many of you would trade places

925. with a Black person in this society?

926. Raise your hand.

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

928. Regina Jackson and Saira Rao.

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

930. What did you expect at these dinners?

931. Basically, exactly what we expect is what we get. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 Basically, exactly what we expect is what we get.

932. Some women are ready to do the work.

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

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

935. Hold on a minute.

936. I've heard of these ladies before.

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

938. Basically, this book is saying, like,

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

940. Stop being nice about racism?

941. What a concept!

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

943. to come over for dinner and call you racist. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

944. It's genius!

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

946. But there's a big problem.

947. Only white women are allowed to attend.

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

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

950. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

951. Okay.

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

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

954. you have to leave the table.

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

956. you know, with lots of tissue

957. and everything...

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

959. When a white woman starts crying,

960. it draws all the attention X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 it draws all the attention

961. - from the room... - Yeah.

962. onto that poor,

963. - white woman. - Yeah.

964. Even the language of whiteness softens everything.

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

966. And by the way, a white woman,

967. you know, your hero, Robin DiAngelo,

968. coined that term,

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

970. when Black and brown people talk about racism

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

972. and then deflect the conversation.

973. By not wanting to address your racism

974. and your white supremacy,

975. that is upholding white supremacy.

976. That is not fragile. So just think about how even language X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 That is not fragile. So just think about how even language

977. to describe your violent behavior

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

979. And to make you comfortable.

980. So...

981. tell us one instance

982. that your racism has shown up recently.

983. And that's either something

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

985. thought or an action.

986. So, my husband's Black,

987. so it can be an everyday white supremacist thing. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 so it can be an everyday white supremacist thing.

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

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

990. and I'll shush him.

991. Why do you do that?

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

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

994. my white supremacy talking.

995. So, that's basically tone policing

996. - a Black person... - Mm-hmm.

997. who happens to be your husband.

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

999. This one mom starts going on about

1000. how her white son is so screwed. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 how her white son is so screwed.

1001. Been rejected here, and "white boy, white boy."

1002. All right, white entitlement, white centering,

1003. tone policing, white silence.

1004. White women owned slaves.

1005. Period. That's what it is.

1006. Let's be clear what's happening in this country.

1007. - It's Nazism. - Yeah.

1008. Republicans are Nazis.

1009. I assume it sounds like everyone here

1010. is probably not a Republican. I might be wrong.

1011. Am I wrong about the...

1012. Is there any Republican at this table?

1013. You cannot separate yourselves

1014. from the bad white people.

1015. The proliferation of guns has happened X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 The proliferation of guns has happened

1016. every time whites feel terrified

1017. of Black and brown people,

1018. which is literally every 10 seconds,

1019. but also, um, when there's an event like Obama.

1020. Like Ferguson. Like 9/11.

1021. Like COVID-19. Like George Floyd. Thank you.

1022. Um...

1023. You've been killing all of us, right?

1024. Primarily Black folks, and we're just right behind.

1025. Right? There's the hierarchy.

1026. Whiteness is even more insidious than I...

1027. than I even knew even a year ago.

1028. And whiteness also robs you of your brain.

1029. You know, you all have gave up

1030. your reproductive health rights without... X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 your reproductive health rights without...

1031. You wouldn't even get off your Peloton bike

1032. for 10 minutes to go protest that.

1033. Did you want a second roll?

1034. No, thank you. Oh, okay. I'm good.

1035. Black people know

1036. that white people believe they need their guns

1037. to protect yourselves from us.

1038. We've decided that it's okay for the Second Amendment,

1039. which is literally synonymous with white supremacy,

1040. to be our bible.

1041. You want some?

1042. This is what anti-racism is.

1043. It's actually what anti-whiteness is. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

1044. - It has to burn. - Mm-hmm.

1045. The entire system has to burn.

1046. And I'm not looking to you to save this country.

1047. This country is not worth saving.

1048. This country is a piece of shit.

1049. Oh, my goodness!

1050. Oh, sorry.

1051. Um, but yes.

1052. Uh, aren't you all tired of living like this? Seriously.

1053. I mean, I used to be a white woman.

1054. An unsuccessful one...

1055. for many decades.

1056. And it was a miserable experience.

1057. And really, the... the... the hatred of yourselves X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 And really, the... the... the hatred of yourselves

1058. and each other is like the most...

1059. The not seeing your power.

1060. The being afraid, like,

1061. all you do is talk shit about each other,

1062. talk shit about yourselves, "Oh, my God, I'm so fat."

1063. That's all they do. That's all they do.

1064. I'm telling you.

1065. These white women.

1066. But it's... it's... That's it.

1067. It's "I'm so fat. I'm so stupid.

1068. "I'm blah blah blah."

1069. Sorry.

1070. Your kids are watching you. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 Your kids are watching you.

1071. And they're watching you talking shit about each other.

1072. You know, raging against a machine or being silent

1073. or whatever the hell it is

1074. that you're doing or not doing.

1075. And they know that you're not doing shit for them.

1076. That's so important.

1077. That is so important, what she just said.

1078. It's real... It's really important.

1079. That's...

1080. We may have to add you to our team.

1081. Oh! I would love to take a seat and join you.

1082. - No. You're not allowed to. - Oh, okay.

1083. - Definitely not allowed. - Okay.

1084. I do have my DEI certification

1085. - that I... that I got. - Okay. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 - that I... that I got. - Okay.

1086. - Okay. - So...

1087. Not saying I'm an expert, but I'm also not a novice.

1088. So...

1089. Okay.

1090. White people are starved for these conversations.

1091. We are. We are so starving.

1092. - Yeah. - We are so starving for this.

1093. Anyone else?

1094. Want to say anything?

1095. I'll just say one thing.

1096. I'm so glad we can have these conversations.

1097. And I'll be done. But, uh, I'm just so glad

1098. that we could all get together to have these conversations.

1099. That's all I wanted to say.

1100. - Thank you. - Is he an actor?

1101. - Are you an actor? - Oh, no.

1102. Can you let us... We're trying to listen X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 Can you let us... We're trying to listen

1103. and trying to have this conversation.

1104. Okay. You know,

1105. we're all acting all the time in our lives,

1106. and, uh, and I think that that's part of the problem.

1107. You know?

1108. And it's like we're all trying to play a part

1109. rather than just being real

1110. and having these uncomfortable conversations.

1111. And that's what I'm always trying to tell people.

1112. Especially, you know, white women. No offense.

1113. - But... - No,

1114. but, see, like, you're a white dude.

1115. There's power positions

1116. - and, uh, you know... - Yeah.

1117. it's pointing... pointing...

1118. white people pointing fingers at each other is not helpful. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 white people pointing fingers at each other is not helpful.

1119. You know, I've been on this journey for so long,

1120. and just to see you guys at the table

1121. having this conversation has been really

1122. enlightening for me.

1123. Anyway, I got the DEI certification.

1124. And I'm just on the journey.

1125. All right. You ladies have a great...

1126. Thank you. All right.

1127. - Decolonize yourself. - Mm-hmm.

1128. Do your own white supremacy dismantling. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 Do your own white supremacy dismantling.

1129. And then you can start to bring in other people.

1130. Can I just... Can I just say one last thing?

1131. Can I just propose a toast?

1132. Uh, I mean, just raise a glass if you're racist.

1133. And that's the thing.

1134. Cheers. Oh, I'm not racist. Let me put my glass down.

1135. All the rest of you.

1136. To racists.

1137. What a charming group of ladies. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 What a charming group of ladies.

1138. I've learned a lot from my fellow anti-racists.

1139. But now it's time to evangelize.

1140. To go to white America

1141. and teach them about their privilege.

1142. This biker bar will do just fine.

1143. I'm sure these people

1144. would love to have an honest dialogue

1145. about the perils of whiteness. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

1146. What are you doing,

1147. personally, in your life to decenter your whiteness?

1148. What do you mean, decenter it? Well...

1149. Take it away from the center of... X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

1150. Who's making it the center? Why are they doing that?

1151. Why race has to be thrown in on everything?

1152. Well, you're white... you're white.

1153. So? Who cares?

1154. I mean, really, the way that the world is going right now,

1155. people need to be concerned

1156. with how they're going to feed their families.

1157. Not what color is that man's skin.

1158. I got Black friends, I love them, too.

1159. - But they know they're Black. - Do you know they're Black?

1160. Of course I do, and I like it. Good for them.

1161. Well, you know, one thing I've learned is that

1162. if you meet a Black person,

1163. you want to forget that they're Black.

1164. But don't forget that they're Black.

1165. Why would you want to forget that they're Black?

1166. - Well, don't. But also don't. - Are they a friend? X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 - Well, don't. But also don't. - Are they a friend?

1167. Then you should embrace them being Black.

1168. I think Black men should have pride in being Black.

1169. And I think you should have pride in being white.

1170. - What's wrong with that? - I agree with the first part.

1171. Hello, sir.

1172. Hi.

1173. What's your name?

1174. Pat.

1175. - Pat? - Yeah.

1176. What about you? Do you have, uh, kids?

1177. - Do you have a wife? - Yeah, I've got...

1178. two or three kids...

1179. - Two or three kids? - Yeah.

1180. You don't have to give me the whole list,

1181. but what are some ways

1182. that you're, um, confronting your whiteness? X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 that you're, um, confronting your whiteness?

1183. - My whiteness? - Yeah.

1184. I get along good with Black people.

1185. I used to have... I used to have a Black brother.

1186. I called him my brother. He called me his brother.

1187. Was he really your brother?

1188. No, he wasn't.

1189. You were calling a Black man brother?

1190. Yeah. I had more Black friends

1191. living in Huntsville than I had white friends.

1192. - Really? - Yeah.

1193. So that's in your own life, but systemically...

1194. Considering the way things is at now?

1195. Yeah.

1196. Just to summarize. But what do you think about X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 Just to summarize. But what do you think about

1197. this issue of heteronormativity

1198. and how it intersects

1199. with the broader structures of racism in society?

1200. Huh?

1201. I mean, ultimately, how do we get to a point of,

1202. let's say, racial harmony?

1203. I don't know.

1204. But I'm just telling you what I said.

1205. That's a lot to think about on my own journey.

1206. - It's good to talk to you. - Mm-hmm.

1207. Uh, I'm a vegetarian as well.

1208. Uh, just started on the vegan, uh, journey also, X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 Uh, just started on the vegan, uh, journey also,

1209. - so I'm glad... - That don't say "vegetarian."

1210. That's a...

1211. - "Vaginatarian." - "Vaginatarian."

1212. What is that?

1213. That's a little bit of a sexist joke.

1214. Well, you know. It is what it is.

1215. What do you think about racism in society?

1216. Is it... Do you think it's a big problem?

1217. I was born in 1960.

1218. My dad, my uncle,

1219. my granddaddy, were Klansmen.

1220. It never affected me.

1221. But you don't... You're not...

1222. - No. - ... racist? X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 - No. - ... racist?

1223. - No. Not at all. - And how do you know?

1224. How do either of you know that you're...

1225. Because I... I accept people as they are.

1226. Exactly.

1227. If you approach me as a human being,

1228. then I'm gonna be a human being too.

1229. We all bleed the same way.

1230. What do you think about systemic racism?

1231. Systemic? What the hell is that?

1232. Is the system constructed in such a way

1233. as to marginalize people of color?

1234. You wanna do away with racism?

1235. Quit labeling people as Black and white. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 Quit labeling people as Black and white.

1236. - Exactly. - But that's colorblindness,

1237. which is problematic.

1238. If I meet you as a Black man, and you...

1239. you approach me, I shake your hand.

1240. We go in here, we have a conversation,

1241. we have a beer or ride down the road on a motorcycle.

1242. What the hell does your color got to do with it?

1243. It's all right here, bubba.

1244. If you treat people right, they treat you right.

1245. And...

1246. I don't care what color they are.

1247. You gotta treat each other right. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

1248. I was expecting these bikers

1249. would be a bunch of racists.

1250. And obviously, I was right.

1251. These people haven't even started

1252. to decenter their whiteness.

1253. Now I need to go deeper into the racist south,

1254. so that I can talk to people of color

1255. about their lived experience with racism.

1256. I was in the drug game for 18 years of my life, man.

1257. And 14 and a half years went all, uh, to incarceration. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

1258. So how did you get out?

1259. I got out through, uh, the pages of the Word of God.

1260. My parents always taught me to love everybody.

1261. Don't allow skin color to ever become a problem for you.

1262. We didn't... We didn't see colors, baby.

1263. Because we grew up together.

1264. And you know, it was a lot of love.

1265. Inherent dignity, it's in all of us.

1266. Though we're different in so many ways,

1267. we're still alike in so many more ways.

1268. - So we all one in God's sight. - Yes.

1269. So how long have you owned this shop here?

1270. I came here August 15, 1971, from British Guyana. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 I came here August 15, 1971, from British Guyana.

1271. Did you start a family and all that?

1272. Yes. Altogether I have 53 grandchildren.

1273. - Wow. - Yeah.

1274. You think the country has been good to you?

1275. Yeah. Yeah, very good. Very good, yeah.

1276. How do you feel about America today?

1277. America, man, is a beautiful country.

1278. A beautiful country. I don't have no problem here.

1279. A lot of people, pretty critical of, uh...

1280. of this country, and, you know...

1281. I don't know why.

1282. It can be kind of a racist country.

1283. No. No, no, no. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

1284. Do you experience a lot of microaggressions out here?

1285. Nah. Not out here.

1286. No.

1287. Well, what about the systemic issue?

1288. - Systemic... - What you mean by "systemic"?

1289. Well, the whole country. The system.

1290. The system is... You know, the system is racist.

1291. Mm...

1292. Not to me.

1293. - Not to you? - No. Not to me, man.

1294. I don't think about those things,

1295. racism and all that stuff.

1296. I've been reading a lot of books recently.

1297. Robin DiAngelo, White Fragility, obviously.

1298. Uh, been reading a lot of anti-racist literature. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 Uh, been reading a lot of anti-racist literature.

1299. Mm-hmm. I don't read them things.

1300. What do you read?

1301. The only thing I read is the Bible.

1302. I got it in the car right there.

1303. If you looked in my car,

1304. you'll see it right there on the seat.

1305. So you haven't read any Robin DiAngelo?

1306. Uh, no. No, no. Robin DiAngelo, who is that?

1307. Well, she's a anti-racist, uh...

1308. - Oh, no, no, no. No, no, no. - ... expert.

1309. I never read them kind of books, man.

1310. If I get a book like that,

1311. I put it down. I don't want it.

1312. I got a couple copies in my car. I can give you one.

1313. No. I don't want it. I don't want it. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 No. I don't want it. I don't want it.

1314. I don't want it.

1315. No. 'Cause that is not in my heart. No.

1316. I've kind of been working on, uh, decentering my whiteness.

1317. Oh, your whiteness?

1318. Aight now, baby. We all bleed the same thing, dude.

1319. If I cut you right there, you will bleed just like me.

1320. I...

1321. It's just the color of your skin.

1322. How do we get past all the, uh,

1323. talk about racism and the...

1324. Oh, we gotta love each other, like I said.

1325. We have to love each other. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 We have to love each other.

1326. That's how you get past racism.

1327. Well, it can't be that simple.

1328. - Huh? - Is it that simple?

1329. Well, yeah. I mean, to me.

1330. Something's not right.

1331. These people said the same thing as those bikers.

1332. White supremacy is more pervasive

1333. than I ever imagined.

1334. I need to talk to someone

1335. who has stared directly into the face of racism.

1336. - July 16th... - Mm-hmm.

1337. - ... 2022. - Mm-hmm.

1338. - Difficult day for you. - Very.

1339. And for America.

1340. The popular kids amusement park

1341. apologized after a video went viral X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 apologized after a video went viral

1342. that appeared to show a costumed character

1343. snubbing two Black girls.

1344. Okay, you see the character coming,

1345. high-fiving everybody as he goes down the street.

1346. Gets to those two little girls.

1347. And appears to just flat out say no,

1348. and you see the little girls,

1349. and their faces, and they're heartbroken.

1350. Meet Jodi Brown.

1351. The mother who was victimized

1352. at the hands of Rosita, the Sesame Street character.

1353. She was reluctant to talk about the traumatic incident,

1354. but for $50,000,

1355. she was willing to tell her tragic story.

1356. Now, you have described this moment as disgusting. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 Now, you have described this moment as disgusting.

1357. Because I feel like if you are able to acknowledge

1358. someone before my children and after my children,

1359. you could've stopped two seconds just to say hello.

1360. This was something targeted at your... you and your child.

1361. It was a very intentional racist act.

1362. We don't want some explanation that, "Oh, the performer

1363. "didn't see these two young girls."

1364. Which one of them is in isolation today

1365. from the harm that is being caused by this company.

1366. So we're gonna demand X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 So we're gonna demand

1367. that they take care of any type of healthcare

1368. or mental care expenses

1369. that these children have realized.

1370. And who is Rosita? Who's in that costume?

1371. Mel Gibson.

1372. I think that person needs to be,

1373. you know, held accountable.

1374. - Fired and held to account. - Absolutely fired.

1375. Well, before you fire 'em,

1376. teach 'em why they're being fired.

1377. And then let them go.

1378. And then let them go.

1379. How do we fix the endemic racism among mascots?

1380. Mascots, I feel, like, need to be trained better. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 Mascots, I feel, like, need to be trained better.

1381. Do you know who the employee is that was

1382. - in the costume? - No.

1383. That information was never given to me.

1384. Uh, do we know if they're white?

1385. Um, that information was also not given to me.

1386. Do you think American society is racist?

1387. There is an epidemic of hate

1388. in the United States of America.

1389. Threats of violence.

1390. Threats of death and destruction. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 Threats of death and destruction.

1391. Hate and racism are alive and well in America.

1392. This is just absolutely crazy.

1393. She was verbally attacked by a group of men.

1394. And I heard

1395. distinctly them saying "Donald Trump."

1396. where a hate crime

1397. is being investigated...

1398. third consecutive year

1399. a noose has been found on campus.

1400. Bitter, brutal hate crimes that are on the rise.

1401. 17% increase.

1402. 20% increase.

1403. 55%.

1404. Hate crimes have surged...

1405. More than 7,200 hate crimes.

1406. A noose was found in Bubba's garage. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 A noose was found in Bubba's garage.

1407. It's not about racing.

1408. It's about race.

1409. The Jussie Smollett hate crime case

1410. shows what appears to be a noose

1411. around the Empire actor's neck.

1412. You could not get more reprehensible than a noose.

1413. We have a media that's saying it's a debate whether or not

1414. what just happened to Jussie Smollett

1415. is a hate crime. It's absurd.

1416. I've been truthful and consistent

1417. on every single level since day one.

1418. Right now, there is a domestic terrorism prevention bill

1419. moving through the house.

1420. The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act.

1421. Thank you.

1422. The hate crimes task force is investigating...

1423. - Hate crimes. - Hate crimes.

1424. - Hate crime. - Hate crime.

1425. Hate crime.

1426. Hate crimes.

1427. Thoughts?

1428. I think that hate crimes are bad.

1429. Hate in general, uh, is not good.

1430. But they're everywhere now.

1431. - No. - It's an epidemic. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 - No. - It's an epidemic.

1432. No, it's... it's not.

1433. Well, out of, what,

1434. 20 million index crimes a year,

1435. there are 6,000, 7,000 hate crimes.

1436. No, there's no epidemic.

1437. This is one of those things

1438. where there's a huge disconnect

1439. between media presentation,

1440. and this really is something I research professionally.

1441. And one of the reasons that you're probably

1442. talking to me also is I wrote the book, Hate Crime Hoax,

1443. and I mean, I noted that over a period of maybe...

1444. You wrote the book called what?

1445. Uh, Hate Crime Hoax.

1446. I pointed out that a lot of these incidents, X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 I pointed out that a lot of these incidents,

1447. Jussie Smollett, uh,

1448. Covington Catholic, Yasmin Seweid,

1449. Duke lacrosse, Bubba Wallace...

1450. Terrible story.

1451. Uh, but they didn't happen. That's the thing.

1452. None of those stories that I'm mentioning happened.

1453. I mean, you can just go on and on with this.

1454. Uh, Kansas State, the horrible racial epithets

1455. written on upscale vehicles...

1456. Okay. Let... Let's...

1457. Let's slow down here for a moment.

1458. So you wrote the book, Hate Crime Hoax?

1459. Yes.

1460. We're missing a word in our notes on that.

1461. Uh...

1462. That's an issue from the producer there X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 That's an issue from the producer there

1463. if it just says "Hate Crimes,"

1464. or "Hate Crime Epidemic," or something like that.

1465. Yeah.

1466. Uh, and you say that you're Black?

1467. Yes.

1468. Don't the statistics

1469. show that anti-Black hate crimes

1470. are a huge problem?

1471. If you break down the statistics.

1472. Well, I think that depends on your definition

1473. of a huge problem. I mean, so the...

1474. One of the biggest problems.

1475. No. The statistics absolutely do not show that. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 No. The statistics absolutely do not show that.

1476. What are the statistics?

1477. If you go into the FBI numbers annually,

1478. there are maybe 7,000

1479. actual reported, documented hate crimes

1480. - in a typical... - In a day?

1481. No, in a typical year.

1482. But the total number of crimes in the United States,

1483. more than 2 million committed by African Americans.

1484. Almost a million committed against African Americans.

1485. This is just violent crimes.

1486. And it's just the case

1487. that there are way more crimes than there are hate crimes.

1488. No one thinks that direct racial conflict X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 No one thinks that direct racial conflict

1489. is one of the biggest problems in the country

1490. unless they've been told by the media that it is.

1491. Uh, why are we talking about statistics?

1492. This is not a matter of statistics.

1493. Well, you asked me about the statistics.

1494. Every week practically,

1495. we hear another story about

1496. someone reporting a hate crime.

1497. Let's say, they find a noose.

1498. Uh, they found a racist note on a receipt.

1499. So, saying there's a hate crime every week

1500. is absolutely meaningless.

1501. If you really wanted to solve crime, X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 If you really wanted to solve crime,

1502. you'd talk about Black-on-Black crime,

1503. you'd talk about addiction in poor white communities.

1504. You'd talk about almost anything

1505. but what the major media seems intent on focusing on.

1506. Most of those stories turn out to be complete fakes.

1507. It seems like the real conversation to have

1508. would be about something like hysteria

1509. and neuroticism among Americans.

1510. It becomes an opportunity for a conversation

1511. about race in America.

1512. And we can always use more of that.

1513. I absolutely disagree...

1514. With what part?

1515. That we can... I disagree with all of that. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 That we can... I disagree with all of that.

1516. Have you heard yet that I'm a certified DEI expert?

1517. Here's my certification.

1518. "Diversitylnclusion Training.com.

1519. "Making compliance fast, easy, and painless."

1520. You don't need to read that much.

1521. - Just... Yeah, give it back. - I... I don't know...

1522. - something... - That's not the point.

1523. The demand for racism in society right now

1524. greatly outweighs the supply.

1525. We've attached a sort of value to being a victim.

1526. People report these crimes

1527. because they know the response will be immediate.

1528. It will be sensationalistic. It will be very supportive. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 It will be sensationalistic. It will be very supportive.

1529. Why would Jussie Smollett say what he did?

1530. The entire thing was complete nonsense,

1531. and I think most serious people

1532. knew this from the beginning.

1533. If it was such an obvious hoax, then why...

1534. why didn't we hear it from the media?

1535. From, uh, Kamala Harris, all the late night talk shows.

1536. The question is not, why would they ever

1537. say something that's not true?

1538. It's, sort of, why do we believe?

1539. Because this had a major national impact.

1540. This itself impacted race relations

1541. by a couple of points.

1542. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

1543. Despite what the statistics say,

1544. this country isn't safe for people of color.

1545. I've heard it over and over.

1546. If only I could walk in their shoes,

1547. then I'd really know what they go through.

1548. Looks cold out there.

1549. It's two o'clock in the morning.

1550. Man, I'm hungry.

1551. You're going to Subway.

1552. Where can I get food at this hour?

1553. Subway is open 24 hours.

1554. Like, people kill me when they say things like that.

1555. Because it's like, Subway is open 24 hours for a reason. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 Because it's like, Subway is open 24 hours for a reason.

1556. So that when you hungry at night

1557. and you ain't got no food, you go to Subway.

1558. What happened that night, Jussie?

1559. I went to the Subway and got the order.

1560. You have to understand also that it's Chicago. In winter. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 You have to understand also that it's Chicago. In winter.

1561. I, uh, heard as I was crossing the intersection, X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 I, uh, heard as I was crossing the intersection,

1562. I heard, "Empire."

1563. Daily Wire.

1564. And I don't answer to "Empire."

1565. My name ain't Empire. Uh...

1566. And I didn't answer.

1567. I kept walking, and then I heard,

1568. " Empire... "

1569. So I turned around, and I said...

1570. "The did you just say to me?

1571. And I see...

1572. the uh, attacker.

1573. Uh, masked.

1574. that I had said that they were wearing

1575. MAGA hats, I never said that. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 MAGA hats, I never said that.

1576. And... he said,

1577. - " This MAGA country," - This MAGA country,

1578. Punches me right in the face.

1579. So I punched his ass back.

1580. Hmm?

1581. And then, um, we started tussling,

1582. you know, it was very icy.

1583. Fighting, fighting, fighting. There was a second person

1584. involved, who was kicking me in my back.

1585. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

1586. And then I... I smelled bleach.

1587. I know the smell of bleach.

1588. Hit him with the bleach! Hit him with the bleach!

1589. Then it just stopped.

1590. And...

1591. they ran off.

1592. And I... Then I looked down, and I see

1593. that there's a rope around my neck.

1594. You hadn't noticed it before...

1595. No. 'Cause it was so fast.

1596. I noticed the rope around my neck,

1597. and I started screaming.

1598. And I said, "There's a rope around my neck. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 And I said, "There's a rope around my neck.

1599. If the attackers are never found,

1600. how will you be able to heal?

1601. Um...

1602. I don't know.

1603. Let's just hope that they are.

1604. You know what I'm saying?

1605. Like, let's... let's not go there yet.

1606. On second thought,

1607. I don't really feel like Subway. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 I don't really feel like Subway.

1608. Hi, Robin.

1609. Robin DiAngelo.

1610. It's an honor.

1611. It's an honor to meet you.

1612. It... Damn it.

1613. It's nice to meet you, Robin DiAngelo.

1614. Dr. Robin DiAngelo.

1615. Is there a, uh, Mr. DiAngelo?

1616. Asking for a friend.

1617. Someone of your esteemed...

1618. Stupid.

1619. Robin. Would you sign my book?

1620. Your book. Would you sign my book I have of yours? X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 Your book. Would you sign my book I have of yours?

1621. I'm pleading with you to sign my...

1622. Please, would you sign my book?

1623. "To your friend, uh, Matt."

1624. Okay.

1625. This is it.

1626. Don't screw this up.

1627. Don't mess this up.

1628. Let's do the work.

1629. - Hi, Robin. - Hi.

1630. And what's your name?

1631. - I'm Matt. - Matt. Hi, Matt.

1632. Nice to meet you. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 Nice to meet you.

1633. I just had to ask who you are because

1634. you have to be careful.

1635. You can never be too careful.

1636. Let's... Let's start with the book.

1637. One of the most important books of the past century,

1638. I would say, for my money, White Fragility.

1639. Uh, you've been in this field for a long time.

1640. You've done a lot.

1641. What sort of organizations have you, uh, worked with?

1642. Do you want me to name?

1643. Oh, sure. I mean...

1644. Should I name it? I...

1645. Okay. Well, but I don't want to be held responsible

1646. for what they do. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 for what they do.

1647. Netflix.

1648. Google. Amazon. Snapchat.

1649. And what do you do for them?

1650. Sometimes it's a workshop, or it's interactive.

1651. Maybe it would take place over several hours or a day.

1652. Let's start with some definitions.

1653. And probably the biggest one to define is racism.

1654. Well, if you're talking about a white person,

1655. and you say this person is racist,

1656. you're basically, to me, saying this person

1657. is a product of their society.

1658. Is it possible for a white person

1659. to be not racist? X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 to be not racist?

1660. I think, in a given moment, we can be more or less racist.

1661. We're... And so I think of it

1662. more as a continuum than an either-or.

1663. Is there any way to get rid of, uh, white privilege?

1664. If an individual says,

1665. "I don't want to have this privilege, it feels unfair."

1666. Is there any way for a man to say,

1667. "I don't want this privilege"? I mean, we live in patriarchy.

1668. And you can't just opt out.

1669. You can do your best to challenge it.

1670. That, in a way, is opting out.

1671. That confuses me too,

1672. because I don't want to mansplain

1673. - or whitesplain... - Yeah. Well, okay. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 - or whitesplain... - Yeah. Well, okay.

1674. What is... Maybe that's important.

1675. - Yeah. - Segue. What is "mansplain"?

1676. Well, it would be you explaining to me

1677. either why what you just did wasn't sexism?

1678. Or explaining...

1679. I don't think that's what it is.

1680. I think "mansplain" is to make an assumption.

1681. To say something in an assuming way.

1682. You talked about the problem of, uh...

1683. of over-smiling...

1684. which

1685. really resonated with me.

1686. Sometimes smiling at a Black person X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 Sometimes smiling at a Black person

1687. can... can be racist.

1688. It's a reminder. You know, those thousand daily cuts.

1689. It's a reminder of your position

1690. in relation to that other person, right?

1691. Because that person likely knows

1692. why I'm smiling at them.

1693. When I go to the grocery store,

1694. I don't really look at anybody,

1695. I just do my thing, but I see a Black person,

1696. I... I feel almost an uncontrollable

1697. sense of urgency to signal to them

1698. that I'm okay, and that I'm not racist, X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 that I'm okay, and that I'm not racist,

1699. and that they're welcome.

1700. Is it the right strategy to be...

1701. for a white person to say,

1702. "Well, hey, I'm just going to operate

1703. "in this situation as a normal person.

1704. "I'm not gonna think about race.

1705. "I'm not gonna notice." Just see people

1706. as human beings. Is that the way it works?

1707. Yeah, no. First of all, you do see them as a Black person.

1708. You do. I mean, I'm not gonna pretend

1709. I don't notice that there's a Black person

1710. - in the grocery store. - So we want to notice race,

1711. but not... not too much.

1712. We want to be honest that we do.

1713. We do notice race.

1714. We don't notice it. Don't focus on it. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 We don't notice it. Don't focus on it.

1715. - Yeah. Okay. - But think about it.

1716. But...

1717. I mean, you notice it.

1718. Focus on it a little bit, but not too much.

1719. Yeah. You know, there's a... It's a balance, right?

1720. 'Cause I hear "forget that I'm Black.

1721. "Don't forget that I'm Black.

1722. "Notice. Don't notice.

1723. "Don't deny that you're racist.

1724. "But also try not to be racist.

1725. "But don't... But also don't realize that you..."

1726. It makes me...

1727. - Yeah. - It makes me, uh...

1728. I'm sorry. I...

1729. - It's okay. - It just... X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 - It's okay. - It just...

1730. - It makes me feel overwhelmed. - Yeah. Yeah.

1731. Just take your time.

1732. I know you work on this in your seminars.

1733. People, uh, workshopping actual real-life scenarios.

1734. So would you mind, kind of a role play where...

1735. - Okay. - ... I will, in this scenario,

1736. be the person of color who's bringing concern to you,

1737. and then you'll show how to navigate that?

1738. Sure. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 Sure.

1739. Okay. So, workplace scenario.

1740. - Hi, Robin. - Hi.

1741. I noticed, uh, you passed by me in the hall

1742. earlier today

1743. and you were really overdoing the smile,

1744. and it made me feel, um,

1745. patronized and it felt racist.

1746. And...

1747. I'm thinking about going to HR about it.

1748. Well, I appreciate you letting me know,

1749. and I imagine that's not without its risks. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 and I imagine that's not without its risks.

1750. I certainly would not have intended

1751. to have that impact on you, but I'm very clear

1752. that I did have that impact on you.

1753. I would love to offer you a repair,

1754. if... if that's something you're ready for.

1755. I don't want to talk about it right now.

1756. - Okay. - Because I'm too... I'm hurt.

1757. Okay. Understood.

1758. Um, if that changes, let me know.

1759. When I'm ready to talk, I'll talk to you.

1760. Yeah. Understood.

1761. What I would like to do, could we...

1762. Let's fast-forward to another day.

1763. - Next day. - Okay.

1764. Hi, Robin. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 Hi, Robin.

1765. Passed by in the hall again and...

1766. this time, you didn't even smile at all at me...

1767. - Okay. - ... and it made me feel

1768. otherized, excluded, marginalized, um...

1769. vaporized...

1770. Now I'm really thinking about going to HR.

1771. - I don't feel comfortable... - Yeah.

1772. with you in this workplace with me.

1773. Okay. And yesterday,

1774. we had the over-smiling incident.

1775. - Yeah. Now it's under. - Okay.

1776. It's under-smiling. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

1777. I would say, um,

1778. "I'm a little bit... I'm a little bit, um,

1779. "confused about how best to proceed.

1780. "I can't deny that I am, um...

1781. "Would you be willing to give me some guidance..."

1782. I don't think it's up to me

1783. - to educate you. - Understood.

1784. Is there anyone you trust, uh, that I can talk to?

1785. Maybe another white person whose understanding...

1786. At this point, I think

1787. we should take separate hallways.

1788. Okay.

1789. - So... - Understood. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

1790. That was a very nuanced, uh, situation.

1791. Yeah, uh, I did my best.

1792. Probably what I would do in that situation.

1793. The very last thing that I want to do,

1794. and, uh, it doesn't even feel right to me

1795. to end this conversation,

1796. uh, especially when there are people of color

1797. - in the room. - Okay.

1798. Ben, if you're willing

1799. to come and sit with us for just a moment.

1800. - Sure. - Um...

1801. So is Ben...

1802. Yeah. This is Ben, uh, producer on the film. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

1803. And, um...

1804. I thought it would be a powerful opportunity to

1805. speak directly to a person of color and

1806. confront our racism and also apologize for

1807. the white supremacist systems that oppress Ben,

1808. so do you want to go first?

1809. Well, on behalf of myself and my fellow white people,

1810. I apologize.

1811. Uh, it is not you, it is us.

1812. As long as I'm standing, I will do my best X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 As long as I'm standing, I will do my best

1813. to challenge it.

1814. I want to pay you reparations right now.

1815. Um, will you accept?

1816. I... I won't turn it down.

1817. Okay. I don't know...

1818. um...

1819. is 20... well...

1820. This is all I have. Um...

1821. I, uh...

1822. - I know that's not... - Um...

1823. That's not gonna... X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

1824. That doesn't make up for 400 years of oppression,

1825. but, um, it's all that I have to give.

1826. Um...

1827. I... I don't know if it's ever enough.

1828. Uh, but what I can say is I appreciate the fact

1829. that you're putting in the work.

1830. Um, you know, I... I think you're right.

1831. I don't think... I don't think it'll ever end.

1832. But, uh, there is...

1833. there is small progress I think we made today. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

1834. Um...

1835. Did you... Did you want to...

1836. - That... - ... pay any, uh...

1837. That was really weird.

1838. Why was it weird?

1839. Uh... Uh, 'cause it seemed really weird to me.

1840. Why?

1841. Um, because you just took out your wallet,

1842. and I don't know, it...

1843. 'Cause I think reparations is like a...

1844. a systemic, um...

1845. dynamic and approach and so, I mean, I think that

1846. there may be some people who would be offended by, uh... X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 there may be some people who would be offended by, uh...

1847. Clearly, you were not offended by that.

1848. I... I won't turn down cash.

1849. - Um... - Hmm.

1850. I think, are we gonna...

1851. Are we gonna allow ourselves to be uncomfortable and...

1852. and just do what we can personally,

1853. or we gonna sit around,

1854. waiting for the system to catch up?

1855. Yeah. They go together, right?

1856. Yeah. But this... this is something

1857. that I can do right now.

1858. Why wouldn't I do it? X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 Why wouldn't I do it?

1859. Well, clearly, I mean, you did it,

1860. and he... he was comfortable with it.

1861. I just, it seems like it's...

1862. uh, not a systemic approach.

1863. - Or it just seemed... - It's not.

1864. 'Cause I'm not waiting for the system.

1865. - I'm acting as an individual. - Yeah.

1866. I can go get some cash, for sure.

1867. In my... Yeah.

1868. If that's something you... you think...

1869. Yeah. I don't mind.

1870. Um...

1871. If that would be something X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 If that would be something

1872. that would be comfortable for you.

1873. - Yeah. - Okay. Cool.

1874. - That's all the cash I have. - Oh, well, you know.

1875. I don't usually carry cash.

1876. - Thanks. - You're welcome!

1877. Um...

1878. This is powerful to me. I thank you for... X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 This is powerful to me. I thank you for...

1879. Sure.

1880. for doing that.

1881. Well, the last thing is, will you sign my book?

1882. Oh, of course.

1883. If you don't mind.

1884. I'm definitely gonna process that.

1885. The student has become the teacher.

1886. My moment has finally arrived.

1887. It's time to show other white people

1888. how to do the work.

1889. And make a little money in the process. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 And make a little money in the process.

1890. I'm taking everything I've learned

1891. on my anti-racist journey

1892. and turning it into my own online DEI course.

1893. Now anybody can earn their own DEI certificate.

1894. And I've already made $3,248.

1895. But for a more in-depth approach,

1896. I'm rolling out an in-person workshop.

1897. I'm calling it the Do the Work! Workshop.

1898. With the purpose of providing practical and innovative,

1899. long-lasting solutions

1900. to promote equality in our society,

1901. Do the Work! Workshop was born.

1902. Our next guest offers a bold and uncompromising workshop X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 Our next guest offers a bold and uncompromising workshop

1903. that aims to bring lasting change.

1904. So what you're doing is you're stretching,

1905. you're stretching,

1906. and this is more for you and less for you.

1907. You're stretching up like this,

1908. - and you're stretching out. - Mm-hmm.

1909. What you're doing is you're stretching

1910. out of your whiteness.

1911. Okay, so you're decentering your whiteness.

1912. You're stretching out of your whiteness.

1913. And you're bringing those

1914. other experiences into yourself.

1915. What exactly does it mean

1916. to do the work with Do the Work! Workshop?

1917. What does it mean to you to do the work?

1918. There's a reason we say "do the work." X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 There's a reason we say "do the work."

1919. And it is a work that you have to do.

1920. It's right there in the name.

1921. You know, what is the work?

1922. It's the work that we're doing.

1923. It's about the doing, and it's also about the work.

1924. What is to do? It is to do the thing.

1925. We might also use the analogy,

1926. another one I like, of raking leaves.

1927. Uh, the leaves of racism are falling.

1928. We're raking them, they keep falling.

1929. We rake them.

1930. Uh, but you don't get to a point where you say,

1931. "Well, I'm done with the leaves."

1932. Then you have leaves all over the yard.

1933. How can somebody get involved

1934. if they're watching this right now?

1935. Where can people get ahold of you

1936. and see you for your next workshop? X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 and see you for your next workshop?

1937. We're doing the work as we speak.

1938. The workshop is happening

1939. this fall if you would like to sign up.

1940. You don't need to bring anything with you

1941. but an open mind.

1942. We're not letting anyone in who doesn't have an open mind.

1943. Uh, also, there's a fee, of course, uh, as well.

1944. That's described in the...

1945. on the website but, you know,

1946. the open mind is the main thing.

1947. Matt, the certified DEI.

1948. Thank you so much for being here.

1949. Thank you so much.

1950. Finding white people willing to do the work

1951. isn't exactly easy.

1952. So I also advertised my workshop on craigslist X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 So I also advertised my workshop on craigslist

1953. which, as we know, is the best place

1954. for finding white people who are willing to do

1955. just about anything.

1956. Who's ready to do the work? Anybody?

1957. I know I am.

1958. Welcome to the Do the Work! Workshop.

1959. Thank you all for being here.

1960. Listen, let's get the credentials

1961. out of the way upfront.

1962. Um, I am a certified

1963. diversity, equity, and inclusion expert.

1964. Um, I have the card and all that,

1965. but I keep the card in the back pocket X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 but I keep the card in the back pocket

1966. for this because I'm just a person on a journey,

1967. just like many of you.

1968. But by the end of the nine steps,

1969. you're gonna start to feel more like an anti-racist ally.

1970. That ultimately is our goal here.

1971. Let's dive in right away with step one.

1972. And here's what we reflect

1973. both externally and internally.

1974. It's all about adopting an appropriate,

1975. uh, attitude of humility,

1976. and also realizing that racism lurks,

1977. uh, many places in society we don't expect it.

1978. This may seem a little strange.

1979. So I look around the room and point to X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

1980. who we believe, just by looking,

1981. is the most racist person in the room.

1982. If you could point.

1983. I'm out, guys.

1984. - Appreciate y'all. - Yeah.

1985. - Have a lovely day. - Thank you.

1986. I appreciate it, but this is definitely not my...

1987. That's uncomfortable.

1988. This is where I'm pointing.

1989. 'Cause why don't we think about pointing at ourselves?

1990. Why would we rather get up and leave the room?

1991. Let's go to step two. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

1992. This is a pretty simple, basic anti-racism concept.

1993. Racism is non-binary. What does that mean?

1994. It means racism is on a spectrum.

1995. What does that mean? It means that racism is fluid.

1996. You might move up or down.

1997. So you might say, "Well,

1998. "I'm kind of a three on the racism scale."

1999. Uh, but there may be moments when you're a six,

2000. when you're a nine, God forbid.

2001. You all have numbers on your desks,

2002. and those are magnetized.

2003. Where do you think that you are

2004. on this scale right now?

2005. Wherever you would judge yourself.

2006. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

2007. Hmm.

2008. So, everybody wants to be...

2009. obviously, we've got a little bit of a traffic jam

2010. over at zero, one, two.

2011. Let's just keep that, we'll keep that up there.

2012. We're gonna keep that in mind as we move on.

2013. Now, next we move on to what this whole workshop

2014. is really about, which is uncomfortable conversations.

2015. Because until we're willing to talk about these things,

2016. um, healing can't really begin. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 um, healing can't really begin.

2017. So I want you to think back

2018. to a racist moment in your life.

2019. Just something that you remember

2020. you did or said.

2021. You wish you could take it back.

2022. But how does the healing start

2023. if we're not willing to admit and talk about it?

2024. I'll give you a racist moment of mine

2025. from two months ago.

2026. And I'll tell you exactly what happened.

2027. I was at a traffic light,

2028. in my car,

2029. I see a Black man, man of color,

2030. appears to be walking up to my car.

2031. What'd I do, I check to make sure X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

2032. the doors are locked.

2033. And immediately I thought,

2034. I hope he didn't hear that little click sound.

2035. Why did I do that?

2036. I thought he might be trying to carjack me.

2037. Unconscious bias.

2038. Now, in this case, the guy behind me did get carjacked.

2039. But does that mean

2040. that the assumption was fair?

2041. Anybody else would like to share?

2042. Number eight? Racist moment.

2043. When I was getting my license when I was 16,

2044. I was in the DMV, and I was really stressed out.

2045. It was, like, a terrible day. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 It was, like, a terrible day.

2046. Despacito was a song playing on the radio,

2047. and I was just, like, so annoyed by it.

2048. I was like, "Oh my God, I've heard this song

2049. "so many times," and I just sort of, like, blurted out,

2050. and I was like, "Oh God, like,

2051. "can you please turn off the song?"

2052. The guy at the DMV was a Puerto Rico guy,

2053. and he just got really, like,

2054. offended by it, and I was like,

2055. "I'm so sorry, like, I really didn't mean that.

2056. "I just kind of yelled at the song

2057. "just 'cause I was feeling bad inside,

2058. "but it just came off really bad."

2059. And I still feel bad about that every day.

2060. It was racist.

2061. We're not here to lie to ourselves. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 We're not here to lie to ourselves.

2062. Now things are getting heated up.

2063. Now we move on to step six.

2064. Over-smiling.

2065. When you're in a room with a Black person

2066. or person of color, there's this compulsion

2067. that people have to smile too much.

2068. You're overcompensating.

2069. I like to put words into action,

2070. so Ben, if you wouldn't mind. Ben.

2071. Uh, let's... for Ben here. Thank you.

2072. Thanks, Ben. Now, Ben is going to stand here, and

2073. let's try to look at Ben

2074. in the least racist way that we know how.

2075. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

2076. Well, number two, you're not even looking at him.

2077. I think he's not looking at us, so it's kind of awkward

2078. to look at someone like they're a specimen.

2079. If that makes sense.

2080. Like the... the exercise itself

2081. is a little awkward, and...

2082. It's not his job as a Black man

2083. to make us feel comfortable in this moment.

2084. That's not what I was saying though. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

2085. Hmm.

2086. Thanks, Ben.

2087. Now we're gonna really take the gloves off.

2088. This is where things get real.

2089. White silence.

2090. White silence is when we remain silent

2091. in the face of bigotry and racism.

2092. Now, what we like to tell ourselves is that

2093. as long as I'm not using the N-word, okay? X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 as long as I'm not using the N-word, okay?

2094. As long as I'm not voting for Donald Trump,

2095. I'm not racist.

2096. By not taking action in the face of racism,

2097. we are participating in that racism.

2098. But here's the good news,

2099. it's never too late to break the white silence

2100. and speak up against racism.

2101. Things are gonna really get uncomfortable now

2102. especially for me.

2103. Because what I want to do is lead by example.

2104. My uncle Frank is here today.

2105. Come on, bring my uncle Frank out. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 Come on, bring my uncle Frank out.

2106. Thank you, Ben.

2107. Uncle Frank.

2108. It was 20 years ago

2109. that you sat at the dinner table with us,

2110. and not a day has gone by

2111. that I haven't thought about this. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

2112. You sat at that dinner table,

2113. and you made what you said was a...

2114. "joke."

2115. You asked the question, what's the difference

2116. between a Mexican man and a picnic table?

2117. And the answer was,

2118. a picnic table can support a family of five.

2119. You're still laughing.

2120. We all laughed at the table.

2121. I laughed.

2122. But I was scared and confused.

2123. And I was a coward.

2124. But I'm not gonna be a coward anymore, uncle Frank. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 But I'm not gonna be a coward anymore, uncle Frank.

2125. You had no right to make that joke!

2126. Latinx Americans, they come to this country

2127. and they work hard!

2128. And your little joke dehumanizes.

2129. It is not funny!

2130. Uncle Frank,

2131. it is not funny to mock marginalized people!

2132. It's not a joke!

2133. It's not funny...

2134. Uncle Frank. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

2135. Okay. Who wants to go next?

2136. Does anybody have some words for Uncle Frank?

2137. We're breaking the white silence here today.

2138. Uh, number six, you're of Hispanic descent.

2139. What are your thoughts?

2140. Mm, I have a lot of thoughts,

2141. but I just feel like it would be wasted on him.

2142. But I do have one thing to say.

2143. If... With your permission.

2144. you. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

2145. Yeah, man. You.

2146. Mm.

2147. I don't talk to anyone in my family

2148. because they're all racist white pieces of trash

2149. in a lot of different ways,

2150. but the racism is the biggest reason.

2151. I have cut off every person in my life,

2152. including my mother and father,

2153. grandparents, everything. I do not give a.

2154. Powerful.

2155. The message, it's clear.

2156. Okay, Ben.

2157. Uh, if you wouldn't mind. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

2158. Thanks, Uncle Frank.

2159. See you this weekend.

2160. All right. Emotions are high,

2161. and this is where we finally get to step nine.

2162. We have to ask ourselves, are we ready for

2163. the healing pain?

2164. Now,

2165. this is when we get to the self-flagellation portion,

2166. which is the final step.

2167. - Wow. - Would you mind taking a whip? X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

2168. Thank you. Thank you.

2169. What is...

2170. Dude, this is ridiculous.

2171. - I'm outta here. You're nuts. - Me too.

2172. - I can't do this. - Um...

2173. I tried, man. I tried. I'm seriously done.

2174. I said it was gonna be uncomfortable.

2175. Why weren't they willing to whip themselves?

2176. Wait. Why were these people willing to whip themselves?

2177. None of this feels right. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

2178. Um...

2179. Hang on.

2180. This is probably too far.

2181. Okay, the workshop's over. It's over.

2182. That was... That's step nine, so...

2183. Yeah, it's over. Seriously.

2184. Yep. Thanks. Okay. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

2185. What am I doing?

2186. What have I become?

2187. Am I making the world better

2188. or am I just profiting on people's racial guilt?

2189. This is all wrong.

2190. I followed the anti-racist playbook,

2191. and it led to disaster. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

2192. All across America,

2193. many companies have implemented a division

2194. of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

2195. And it's important to have this in the workplace

2196. no matter how big or small the organization may be.

2197. Joining us this morning is Matt,

2198. a certified diversity, equity, and inclusion expert.

2199. Good morning.

2200. Morning.

2201. Tell us about your journey.

2202. It hasn't been great, honestly. Um... X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 It hasn't been great, honestly. Um...

2203. Yeah.

2204. And what led you to host this workshop?

2205. Why is this an important initiative,

2206. and how did you go about putting the workshop together?

2207. We just did a workshop,

2208. uh,

2209. you know, it didn't go well. Honestly, I'd...

2210. It...

2211. I think it's doing more harm than good.

2212. This whole thing's a scam, I don't know. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 This whole thing's a scam, I don't know.

2213. So when we think about diversity, equity,

2214. and inclusion, as we mentioned, there are,

2215. um, keys to what an organization should focus on.

2216. So what would you say is, uh, the key for the learning

2217. that we may want to be doing?

2218. Even if we're not quite there yet, right?

2219. Just, uh...

2220. Just go live your life.

2221. I gotta go. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

2222. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

2223. Black, right?

2224. Yeah. Thanks.

2225. Haven't seen you around here in a while.

2226. Yeah. I been out doing the work.

2227. Huh? X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 Huh?

2228. Been doing the work.

2229. What does that mean?

2230. Well...

2231. White Fragility

2232. is a really great place to start.

2233. The reason we cannot be colorblind now,

2234. we're still working on the problem.

2235. I'm not going to pretend I don't notice

2236. that there's a Black person in the grocery store.

2237. DEI certified. I'm here to help.

2238. We live in a white supremacist society.

2239. Whiteness is even more insidious than I even knew.

2240. The only thing about white culture

2241. is buying things and stealing things.

2242. And whiteness also robs you of your brain. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 And whiteness also robs you of your brain.

2243. America is racist to its bones.

2244. - Um... - It has to burn.

2245. The entire system has to burn.

2246. "Why are you blaming me for what my ancestors did?

2247. "It's not my fault."

2248. We want to rename the George Washington Monument.

2249. This country is a piece of shit.

2250. Love is also

2251. not always patient and kind.

2252. It's not that much different than Nazi doctors.

2253. Republicans are Nazis.

2254. Kindness is not what is called for.

2255. It's not funny, Uncle Frank!

2256. you.

2257. I can go get some cash, for sure.

2258. Raise a glass if you're racist.

2259. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

2260. Okay.

2261. Let me know if you need anything else.

2262. You know, this experience has really taught me something.

2263. The anti-racist industry says that America is racist

2264. down to its bones.

2265. And if that were true,

2266. there wouldn't be anything we could do about it.

2267. White people could only wallow in their guilt,

2268. and Black people in their victimhood...

2269. But it's a lie. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 But it's a lie.

2270. It's a lie meant to manipulate us.

2271. Look, we'll never live in a utopia.

2272. We all know that.

2273. But we don't have to be held hostage

2274. by these race-baiting con artists

2275. who want us to be bitter and angry

2276. and resentful.

2277. They're selling us the disease.

2278. They're telling us there's no cure.

2279. They don't say that I'm racist,

2280. and you're a victim, because that's what they think we are.

2281. They tell us that

2282. because that's what they want us to be. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

2283. Well, it's time for us to say no.

2284. Yeah! Yeah!

2285. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000

2286. Well, bless your heart.

2287. I got a lot of tables.

2288. Hey. You wanna hear a joke?

2289. Thank you for calling the Boulder Bookstore.

2290. How can I help you?

2291. Hi. I was just in the other day, X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 Hi. I was just in the other day,

2292. and I saw a certain book that, uh,

2293. I wasn't ready to read at the time,

2294. but I think I'm ready. I wanted to see if you guys

2295. still have it in stock.

2296. Yeah, what was the title?

2297. Uh, it starts... So it starts with an "N."

2298. Um...

2299. I don't remember the...

2300. I don't remember the author.

2301. Um...

2302. It... It's...

2303. You don't know the title of the book either?

2304. Well, it... it's, uh...

2305. 'Cause it got... It's kind of...

2306. It starts with an "N" and there's kind of, uh... X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 It starts with an "N" and there's kind of, uh...

2307. Well, there's...

2308. It's like there's... there's a vowel, there's consonants,

2309. there's a vowel. Um...

2310. It... It's one word.

2311. I really... I don't know how to look it up

2312. without the title or the author.

2313. Well, it's got kind of... So it starts with an "N."

2314. And then it's got kind of, sort of, it's got an "I,"

2315. uh, there, it... it's...

2316. I guess... I mean, we've got thousands of books,

2317. so I don't really know how to look it up

2318. with just knowing the two... first two letters.

2319. It's "N-I..." So it's like an "N-I..." X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 It's "N-I..." So it's like an "N-I..."

2320. There's the... It's a "G..."

2321. is in there, and there's another one.

2322. Let me put you on a brief hold and go check.

2323. Thanks for holding. Um, I'm not seeing anything.

2324. I mean, maybe try to think of the title

2325. - if you can and call back? - Well, it's...

2326. Sorry, sorry. I... I know the title.

2327. I just can't... I can't say the title. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 I just can't... I can't say the title.

2328. - And I... - Okay.

2329. I don't know. I don't think you can say it either,

2330. so I don't...

2331. It's a very... It's a triggering title.

2332. Uh, it actually rhymes with "trigger," actually,

2333. and, uh, so...

2334. but that's what I was wondering,

2335. if it was there.

2336. Um, I mean, I didn't see it when I just went and looked.

2337. Okay. But you know what I'm talking about?

2338. Yeah.

2339. It... It's that book.

2340. - Yeah. - Okay.

2341. - Okay. Have a good day. X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000, MPEGTS:900000 - Okay. Have a good day.