Born in the South just after the end of Jim Crow, the passage of the Civil Rights Act, and the legalization of interracial marriage, Sean Bugg and Trey Graham discuss growing up as gay white Southern boys, encountering issues of racism, class, and religion. Sean and Trey both came to Washington, D.C. — a.k.a. Chocolate City — as young journalists, where they gained a clearer (if imperfect) understanding of how systemic racism had shaped them. Using their own experiences as a lens, along with the short stories of famed Southern writer Flannery O’Connor, they revisit what they’ve learned and how far they have to go.

Trey Graham is a D.C.-based journalist who covered theater for the Washington City Paper for two decades. He received the George Jean Nathan Award for distinguished drama criticism in 2004. He currently covers theater for the Washington Post. His newsletter, “In Good Company,” is on Substack (treygraham.substack.com).

An Oral History of D.C.’s Gold Coast:

Chapters

00:00 Exploring Southern Roots and Race

02:10 Awareness of Racial Identity

07:16 Cultural Differences in Racial Perception

11:34 Confronting Personal Racism

16:30 Navigating Racial Dynamics in D.C.

23:22 Exploring Ethnic Backgrounds and Class Dynamics

26:47 Literary Influences: Flannery O’Connor’s Impact

33:59 Revelation and Self-Reflection in O’Connor’s Work

40:28 The Intersection of Religion, Class, and Race

47:25 Cultural Reflections: The South’s Complex Identity

50:48 Introduction and Context

51:06 Navigating Difficult Conversations

51:54 Closing Thoughts and Reflections

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