What happened when a black girl’s school was integrated, and she was moved from gifted and talented classes to basic classes? What happened when a black girl was bused to a faraway all-white school after attending a more mixed school the year before? What happened when a high school black girl was turned down because she was black when she asked out the white boy who was her close friend? How have these kinds of experiences impacted Black Americans views of white people, and how they move through the world in America?

In this conversation, our guests share and discuss examples of how racial bias has impacted their lives. They also discuss how racial bias plays a role in private sector hiring and what this generally means about the idea of white privilege. 

What happened when white grandparents told their daughter they had a problem with her son having a black girlfriend? What happened when a black girl wasn’t allowed to go to her best friend’s church because she was black?

Are these stories from a bygone era of discrimination? Or are they remnants of our prejudicial history that still remain with us today?

In this conversation, our guests share examples of discrimination they’ve seen or experienced across the black and white divide. They discuss how these experiences of racial bias and discrimination stick with you and impact how you think, feel and behave when it comes to the other race.

The guests also discuss the relationship between black and white women, and how their racial and gender identities play into that relationship. 

What happens when a black woman in the military has her white friend’s mother ask to touch her black curly hair? Are such experiences based in racism or simply based in ignorance and curiosity?

Is White American curiosity about Black people based in a failure to see their humanity, or is it more often just a genuine desire to connect with them as people? Is it understandable for Black Americans to be wary of White people’s interest in their lives and intentions in getting to know them from a concern that their questions are based in - and perhaps trying to confirm - racial stereotypes?

In this conversation, our guests grapple with how to overcome racial divides in how we understand each other as Americans and in who we have in our social networks. How do we overcome racial biases, stereotypes, and prejudices when we're engaged in racial mixing?

How can Black & White Americans be curious about each other without making each other feel defined by our skin color or feel like objects instead of human beings? Are DEI efforts part of the solution to this, or do they exacerbate these issues?

And more generally, is America still racist, or do Black & White Americans just misunderstand each other because our lives are too segregated from one another? 

Are Black & White Americans socialized to fear each other? Are we taught to segregate from each other because of the stereotypes we learn growing up?

Does cancel culture play a role in preventing Americans from engaging more deeply with one another? Do white Americans hold back because they're too afraid to be called "racist?"

What keeps Americans from integrating more across race? 

In this conversation, our guests share their motivations for joining Healing Race to talk about race, and they discuss their experiences living in diverse or non-diverse places and interacting with other Americans across the racial divide. They tell stories of segregation, of being called out as "racist," and of finding a way to engage meaningfully across race, to embrace America's diversity, and to learn from each other. 

Should Americans keep focusing on race to resolve inequalities and injustices, or should we focus more on what unites us as humans and Americans? Should we be ashamed of America, have pride in America, or some mix of both?

Are we too politically and racially tribal? Does focusing on race make us overly tribal? How can we individually take steps to ease the divisions in our country?

Would we feel more trust and less threatened by each other if we didn't give so much power to our President or the federal government, and instead reinforced the checks and balances of our political system?

Our guests talk about what is dividing America, and what can bring us together as Americans, across our political and racial differences. Are we too closed off in our own ideological bubbles? Are we sorting ourselves into ideologically pure communities? Are we too afraid of what's different?

The guests also discuss the possible dangers that AI might bring in how we relate to each other, how we experience the world and what is "real," and how we are treated as Americans?

Do Americans care about the race of their political leaders? Or is political ideology a bigger driver of how Americans view their leaders?

How should we resolve our vast America's economic & racial inequalities? Is it government action? community action? repairing the family structure? Is government action problematic because it is captured by corrupt special interests and the influence of big money interests?

Do wealthy families have an unfair advantage of extra resources and time? And is there a victimhood culture in Black and poor America, or do some Americans really have a leg up when it comes to how they are supported to succeed?

Is affirmative action based on race still needed in America, or was the Supreme Court right to remove race as a consideration in college admissions? Are affirmative action and other diversity initiatives fair and important to achieving racial justice, or do they unfairly disadvantage some Americans?

Have White Americans, white men in particular, been blocked from success with policies like affirmative action and DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion)? Is there a victimhood culture in Black and poor America, or do some Americans really have a leg up when it comes to how they are supported to succeed?

Our guests talk about whether factors such as race and class should play a role in giving America more opportunity and reducing inequality.. They also discuss whether the push for greater diversity in companies, schools and governments has put white men at a disadvantage and has led to the political backlash we see in American society.

Does race still play a major role in economic inequalities? Or has “woke” culture led us to see racial biases and racial inequities where there are none (or at least relatively few)? And how should we respond to economic inequality and social alienation in American society, regardless of one's race?

Is success in America driven more by hard work or circumstances? Do racial biases still play a major role in economic inequalities? Or has “woke” culture led us to see racial biases and racial inequities where there are none (or at least relatively few)?

Is their a victimhood culture in Black and poor America, or do some Americans really have a leg up when it comes to how they are supported to succeed? And have White Americans, in particular white men, been blocked from success with policies like affirmative action and DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion)? 

Our guests talk about whether the U.S. is truly a meritocracy, or if factors such as race, class and geography strongly influence the outcomes of most Americans. They also discuss whether the push for greater diversity in companies, schools and governments has put white men at a disadvantage and has led to the political backlash we see in American society today.

Do racial biases still play a major role in American society? Or has “woke” culture led us to see racial biases where there is none? How do we know what’s in our minds and hearts when we judge and interact with people in our everyday lives? Do most of us carry biases about fellow Americans who are racially and politically different? 

Do our racial, political & cultural biases create caution, division and animosity where there’s nothing to fear? And how do our biases about each other affect the policies that Americans support and legislators enact? Our guests talk about the biases they carry about other social groups and even about their own social groups. They also discuss the cultural differences that fuel the stereotypes that separate us and the cultural similarities that can often be overlooked.

How does a black cop deal with the tension between police and the black community? How does he view the state of the police profession, and how do tensions with American communities affect police morale?

And what are the hopes and worries of conservatives and liberals from different parts of America when it comes to police killings of black civilians and the heightened conflict between police and the black community?

Our guests share their views on police relations and behavior. Is the police force driven by racial profiling and racial bias, or does the media simply spin a heightened racial injustice narrative?

Are we destined to a cycle of crime, violence and brutality, or is there is a path that can ease tensions and improve relations?

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at [email protected]

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email [email protected]