White Savior Complex

These days it seems like EVERYTHING is about race. And it is! While it can feel overwhelming, the number and variety of ways everything is about race these days, its important to pause and to recognize the ways we ourselves may be used to reading race into things without ever realizing it. It can be as simple as they way we respond to a play like James Baldwin's The Amen Corner.

The 2020 Olympics are finally coming to Japan this month and several storylines that put in sharp relief the ways white supremacy informs treatment and perception of white vs black athletes. But before we get into that, a quick dive into the horrific legacy of Canada’s residential schools for indigenous native Americans.

Happy Juneteenth everyone! The debate raging over Critical Race Theory is chaotic and fast moving. In this first crack at the topic, we speak with Clifford Cartel, educator, musician, and yoga instructor to gain some insight on the value of diverse and challenging perspectives in the classroom.

The conflict between Israel and Palestine erupts into war every few years. Its complicated. Its half a world away. Its also our responsibility, since the US supports Israel so deeply. We speak with Richard Becker of ANSWER Coalition to learn more about this situation.

Is America a racist country? Not according to Senator Tim Scott (who is a Black man). His a rebuttal, on behalf of the Republican party, to President Biden's address to Congress, was bitterly condemned by many. Yet many others agreed, even Joe Biden himself and Vice President Kamala Harris. In this episode we unpack Senator Scott's rebuttal and ask, is America a racist country?

The murder trial of Dereck Chauvin came to an end last week. In past episodes we've discussed extensively the ideas and tensions underlying police brutality, so in this episode we simply consider, very briefly, what's next after the guilty verdict. Then we move into some deep reflection on the role of anti-Asian bigotry in our collective conscious, and how that informs the bright but brief publicity of #StopAsianHate. Finally, we take a quick look at how our white savior complex can disguise itself as passion and purpose, sneakily poisoning and undermining the ways we show up as anti-racists.

Just dropping in to say hi, touch bases, and announce new content on the horizon!

What do table top games all have in common? They are so white! Well, not Factions: Battlegrounds! This episode we talk with cocreators of the game, Jason Crayton and Pete Ferry, and game illustrator Brianna Cole about their work to diversify gaming (and combat racism) by drawing upon the rich, deep mythologies and cultures around the world.

On this episode our guest is Angel Rich, author, tech entrepreneur, and financial literacy expert. We discuss her book History of the Black Dollar as well as Hack Racism, her upcoming partnership with Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

In this episode, Steve reflects on what the past 6 months of tension and violence (like accused multiple murderer Kyle Rittenhouse) mean in the struggle against white supremacy, and asks, Is this progress? Or is this a setback?

Its been a very difficult week with the tension and pain surrounding Wisconsin police officer Rusten Shesky's shooting of Jacob Blake, and the subsequent multiple murders of protestors by alleged shooter Kyle Rittenhouse, a teenager from Illinois. How do we process everything? Have we finally stopped ignoring the issue of racism and white supremacy?