Words are just letters on a page, or sounds traveling through the air when spoken, except when they’re more than that. For Birmingham-based writer and poet Michael Harriot — whose essays are featured at The Root and whose spoken word performances have lit up audiences across the United States — words are much more. They are tools at the very least, and weapons at the most, for crafting truth in a society built on lies.

On this episode, Tim speaks with Michael about some of his recent essays about race in America: about the trouble with white liberals and colorblindness; white deflection techniques to avoid hard conversations about racism; the difference between institutional racism and personal bias, and the racial meaning of the recent Alabama Senate election among other things.

The episode also features Michael’s spoken word performance of his poem “My Mama So Black,” performed at the 2017 International World Poetry Slam Finals, and Tim’s commentary about the quixotic search for those elusive Obama-to-Trump voters folks like to talk about so as to "prove" that Trump's appeal isn't due to racism.