Sense making in times of upheaval such as the social unrest and BlackLivesMatter protests of the past week is hard. I believe that long form, thoughtful conversations can help bring forth nuance and ground us in reality better than fragmented and hyped social media.

Please enjoy this conversation about race, oppression and history with Rhamis Kent.

Kent is a permaculturist based in Cornwall, UK. He grew up in the United States, and as a black man, has come to a nuanced understanding of racism and its perpetuation.

This conversation explores the ways in which whiteness is a delusion based on a societal game of musical chairs, of which we've written the rules so that black people are disproportionately destined to lose. Another theme is the way in which, as Van Jones has recently called to attention, liberals and moderates are often those that undermine the Movement for Black Lives the most, in the ways that, when under pressure, they throw their black "allies" under the bus.

Rhamis is well-read, and referenced a number of resources that may interest those interested in exploring this subject further.

• "Permaculture and Slavery: A System Analysis" by Rhamis Kent: https://www.permaculturenews.org/2013/03/11/permaculture-and-slavery-a-system-analysis/

• Brittish compensation to slave holders: https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20200205-how-britain-is-facing-up-to-its-secret-slavery-history

• "The Many-Headed Hydra: Sailors, Slaves, Commoners, and the Hidden History of the Revolutionary Atlantic" by Marcus Redkier and Peter Linebaugh: https://bookshop.org/books/the-many-headed-hydra-sailors-slaves-commoners-and-the-hidden-history-of-the-revolutionary-atlantic/9780807033173

• Bacon's Rebellion (1676-1677): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacon%27s_Rebellion

• Van Jones on the liberal threat: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/van-jones-a-white-liberal-hillary-clinton-supporter-can-pose-a-greater-threat-to-black-americans-than-the-kkk/ar-BB14MgOZ

• "Nothing is True and Everything is Possible: The Surrealist Heart of New Russia" by Peter Pomerantsev: https://bookshop.org/books/nothing-is-true-and-everything-is-possible-the-surreal-heart-of-the-new-russia/9781610396004