Despite a belief that race relations are getting worse, a majority of Americans agree that someone’s racial identity is not hard-wired into their DNA, but the result of decades of socially constructed differences, according to a new survey by Northwestern University’s Center for the Study of Diversity and Democracy. On this thought-provoking and inspiring episode, host Baratunde Thurston sits down with musician and activist Wyclef Jean and Associate Professor of political science, Alvin Tillery, to discuss how people view the connections between genetics and race, what is “true” vs what different groups of people believe to be true about themselves, where we have made strides, where we have a ways to go and hopes for a more ethically perfect world in the future. The conversation gets real, emotional and personal as all three share their stories. Wyclef talks immigrating to Brooklyn with his fearless “Haitian Black Panther” bravado; “My Dad always told me, don't forget, you're a descendant of 1804, Toussaint L'Ouverture. So, this was how I was brought up with a very fearless attitude”.  Al details his harrowing story of surviving a lynching attempt “When I integrated my bus stop in New Jersey in 1980, some high school kids decided that they were going to hang me in a tree. And kill me at 9 years old. Thank God the bus driver was on time and cut me down and I made it, and that’s why I do this work every day…” Spit is a new iHeartRadio podcast with 23andMe. Enjoy this episode? Subscribe, rate and review Spit on iTunes. And be sure to tell your friends all about it. Find out more about our host Baratunde Thurston at Baratunde.com or sign up for his text messages at 202.902.7949 and #spitpodcast Wyclef Jean can be found performing with his Carnival Tour across the country for the remainder of 2018 https://www.wyclef.com/events You can find Alvin Tillery on Facebook @CSDDatNU, or visit the Center for the Study of Diversity and Democracy https://www.csdd.northwestern.edu. 

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