Healing Race

What Is It Like To Be Black in America? A First Conversation about Race Starts Here... Jul 25, 2023

What happens when college freshman roommates, friends of 25 years - one black, one white - have their first conversation about race?

When Todd asked Andre about having their first conversation about race and recording it to make it public, Andre said to himself 'what can I say that isn't being said already by others?' But then he thought, "When a person comes to you heart in hand and ready to listen, you rise and speak YOUR truth." Andre realized he wasn't a person in the news cycle. He was a real person holding the key to opening a heart…

As you’ll see, Andre and Todd don’t agree about everything and there are some tense moments in their conversation. But they lay it all out on the table, without fear of judgment, knowing that they are imperfect people having a conversation about a complicated topic, and they will make missteps.

Andre and Todd share their experiences and beliefs when it comes to race knowing that they don’t know the whole story about race in this country… and can’t speak for all black people or all white people. They know they don't have all “the answers,” but they do have the willingness to listen and explore… as they have a real-deal, don’t filter what you think conversation about race.

So what does a first conversation about race look like? Watch this first episode of Healing Race now to find out...

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Do Black Americans Still Have Reason to Live On Guard? Jul 28, 2023

In this video, Andre and Todd reflect on their conversation in the first episode, discussing the parallels between Black and Jewish histories of discrimination and hate and how they think about those histories when it comes to our country today.

Andre asks Todd about times when he’s felt fears for his own safety and relate his stories to his experience as a Black man in this country.

Andre also gives us greater insight into what was behind the emotions he felt when he shared the fears he has for his safety. So let’s move to that conversation now. Enjoy…

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

Is Black Skepticism of White Motivations Justified in Today’s America? Jul 28, 2023

In this episode, Andre and Todd discuss their different views on the threat of racial violence, whether anyone is capable of being pushed to violence, what’s behind the caution that Andre brings to Black-white relationships, and how canceling each other’s views and experiences impedes our ability to have open, honest conversations about race.

They then follow with two videos where they reflect on this episode’s conversation, including their reactions to the racially motivated Buffalo shooting. So let’s get to that conversation now. Enjoy…

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

What is the Toll of Racial Violence on Black Lives? Jul 28, 2023

In this episode, Andre reflects on how the threat of racial discrimination and violence has impacted him and his relationships and the walls that our racial challenges can lead us to put up between each other.

They also talk about whether the focus on racial stories in today’s media is a net good or net bad for society and race relations, discussing both its upsides and downsides. So let’s get to that conversation now, starting first with a clip from the previous episode that triggered the conversation. Enjoy…

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

How Far Have We Come on Race: The Buffalo Shooting Jul 28, 2023

In this episode, Todd and Andre react to the racially motivated Buffalo shooting at Tops supermarket. Andre shares the impact that public racially motivated deaths have on him and others in the Black community and how important to him it is to heed the wisdom passed down through generations of his and other Black families about how to respond to the threat of racial violence and discrimination.

At the same time, they also discuss the question, “Have times changed enough from when that wisdom was developed to mean that it should be applied differently today?” So let’s move to that conversation now. Enjoy…

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

Growing Up White: An Upbringing without Race Jul 28, 2023

In this episode, Andre asks Todd what it was like to grow up white, and Todd reflects on the role that race played in his upbringing, also sharing a story about the first time he experienced a racial conflict. They also discuss what leads us to identify with a race.

In previous episodes, you could see how Todd and Andre think approach the issue of race in our country very differently. In our upcoming episodes, they turn the clock back to explore how their different upbringings laid the groundwork for their different approaches to race relations.

So let’s get to that conversation now. Enjoy…

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

Do White Americans Really Care About Being "White?" Jul 28, 2023

In this episode, Todd and Andre continue their conversation about the role of racial identity in our country’s racial challenges. How strongly do white Americans identify with being white? Are the motivations for white Americans to identify as white the same as and as strong as the motivations for Black Americans to identify as Black?

Should we want white Americans to identify more with their whiteness? What would the effects of that be? Let’s move to that conversation now. Enjoy…

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

Does Focusing on Race Increase Racial Conflict? Jul 28, 2023

In this episode, Andre and Todd discuss whether the strong focus on race in our country and the demand by some that white people own their whiteness when it comes to racial issues can lead to backlash among some whites that increases their identification with the white identity and their feeling of being in conflict with non-white groups.

They also discuss the role of mainstream and social media and whether the way that the black community is portrayed can heighten white Americans’ feelings that the black community is a threat. How strongly do whites identify with their race? Let’s move to that conversation now. Enjoy…

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

Bonus Episode: Hate, Undone. With Daryl Davis. Aug 03, 2023

"WHEN TWO ENEMIES ARE TALKING, THEY'RE NOT FIGHTING."

Healing Race is excited to release this special bonus episode from a partner podcast, Village SquareCast, a podcast about the things your mother told you not to discuss in polite company - politics, race and religion.

When Daryl Davis was ten, he didn’t understand hate yet. But then he was the only black scout in a parade to honor Paul Revere’s ride to Concord, when he began getting hit by bottles. It was then that he formed a question in his mind that he’s spent much of a lifetime answering: “How can you hate me when you don’t even know me?” Failing to find his answer in books and history, as an adult and an accomplished musician, he realized who better to ask than a member of an organization formed around the premise—the KKK. So began our guest’s extraordinary story, in which a black man befriended over 200 KKK members, starting with a grand wizard. We’ll learn how his improbable, impossible, openhearted journey can light our way.

Musician and Race Reconciliator Daryl Davis, has single-handedly been the impetus for over two hundred White supremacists to renounce their ideology and turn their lives around. As a Black man, Daryl has attended more Ku Klux Klan rallies than most White people and certainly most Blacks — short of being on the wrong end of a rope. His true-life encounters with Grand Dragons, Imperial Wizards, neo-Nazi Commanders are detailed in his documentary Accidental Courtesy, and his riveting first book Klan-Destine Relationships. Daryl tours around the country and around the world performing musical concerts and giving lectures on race reconciliation, inspiring both racists and non-racists to redirect their positions toward working together to truly make America the greatest country it can be.

Does Skin Color Still Play A Large Role in America? Aug 08, 2023

In this episode, Andre shares what it was like to move from a home life surrounded by a largely Black community, where he was one of many, to an academic and professional life, where he was one of few, largely surrounded by and having his success very much depend on white relationships.

Andre and Todd were freshman roommates when he made that transition to being one of few, and they reflect on how their experiences adapting to a new college environment differed, and how their backgrounds helped shape those differences. So let’s get to that conversation now. Enjoy…

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

Are Black Americans Held To Higher Standards of Performance? Aug 08, 2023

In this episode, Todd and Andre discuss the challenges that Black Americans face as they aspire to create the careers and relationships they desire, and how those challenges impact the kind of Black person they can be.

In a world where career success depends on the social relationships you develop with people who have influence and networks of opportunity, what pressures exist for members of the Black community to adapt the way they present themselves to the world? Let’s get to that conversation now. Enjoy…

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

Can Black Americans Be Authentic And Still Succeed? Aug 08, 2023

In this episode, Andre and Todd discuss the question, “How much do different cultural ways of living based on race create barriers between Black and white Americans and matter in our world today?

Do all people have to learn to follow society’s norms in similar ways, or are Black people affected in a unique, particular way? What role do stereotypes about Black people and Black culture play in our need to adapt to those norms? Let’s get to that conversation now. Enjoy…

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

”Black” and ”White”: Should We Identify with the Color of Our Skin? Aug 08, 2023

In this episode, Todd asks Andre if he would ideally like to live in a world where we don’t identify ourselves with the color of our skin. Should we want to live in a world where the groups we identify with are not based on our color, and what are the challenges in getting there?

As part of responding to Todd’s question, Andre shares why he think it’s important and what motivates many members of the black community to identify with the Black identity. So let’s get to that conversation now. Enjoy…

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

Do White Americans Feel Entitled Because of Their Skin Color? Aug 08, 2023

In this episode, Todd and Andre discuss whether a kind of psychology of ownership - where white people feel a right to black lives and what they produce - has endured from the time when black people were the property of white people… and if it has, how prevalent is it currently?

How can we actually tell if a white person harbors this kind of psychology of ownership, or if behaviors that might look like racial prejudice - or even racial superiority - come from other motivations?

The conversation you’re about to hear arose from Andre and Todd discussing whether the killing of George Floyd would lead to an enduring movement or would only be a moment. Is there psychological resistance to letting these moments become movements? Let’s get to that conversation now. Enjoy…

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

Is There Widespread Resistance Among White Americans to Too Much Black Progress? Aug 10, 2023

Andre and Todd discuss whether there is a pervasive need, a shared psychology, among White Americans for Black Americans to stay in “their place” and occupy lesser roles in society.

With whites having controlled power throughout the course of U.S. history, have they made, and do they continue to make, deliberate choices to sustain racial inequities? Are white reactions to Black Americans defying black stereotypes a sign that they resist black advancement or just a product of what they’ve been socialized to expect of black people? Let’s get to that conversation. Enjoy…

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

Are Black Americans Being Deliberately Shut Out from Advancement? Aug 10, 2023

Andre and Todd ask… Does the perpetuation of racial inequities reflect an attempt among a large number of white Americans to deliberately shut out Black Americans from equal opportunity, or is it more a product of white Americans passively being advantaged from historical injustices?

Or is it neither - are there no systemic issues, past or present, that continue to play a role in today’s racial inequities? Let’s get to that conversation. Enjoy…

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

Do Americans Have a Moral Responsibility to Resolve Racial Inequalities? Aug 15, 2023

Todd and Andre discuss the role that racial biases, made by everyday Americans, can play in the differences in opportunity and support that white and black Americans experience across their lifetimes. Do white Americans have a moral responsibility to work against the ways that society benefits them, on average, relative to black Americans?

And does not doing so reflect an inner belief among whites that they deserve those benefits more than blacks… or perhaps at least make them “active” supporters of racial inequities? Let’s get to that conversation. Enjoy…

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

Why Do Some Black Americans Support White Lives Matter? Aug 17, 2023

Todd and Andre discuss the White Lives Matter phenomenon. What makes some people feel the need to state that White Lives Matter? And what motivates some prominent Black Americans to promote White Lives Matter?

Andre and Todd also discuss the upsides and downsides of taking a more universal approach - not based on racial identity - to solving social issues… and whether focusing on race can increase racial conflict. So let’s get to that conversation. Enjoy…

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

Does the Black Lives Matter Movement Run Against the Goal of Supporting “All Lives?” Aug 17, 2023

Andre and Todd continue discussing White Lives Matter. Does the Black Lives Matter movement create an environment that has white people feeling like their lives - or perhaps their views - don’t matter? In focusing on Black Lives does Black Lives Matter run counter to the goal that everyone has a right to a thriving life… or is it a necessary step to that goal?

And how would people’s views on these questions change if they spent more time in each other’s shoes? Todd and Andre talk about racial experiences, racial trust, and more. Let’s get to that conversation. Enjoy…

Is Discussing Racial Bias Too Uncomfortable for White Americans? Aug 22, 2023

In previous episodes, Todd and Andre shed light on their different upbringings and the role that race played in those upbringings.

In this episode, Andre asks Todd when he first became aware of systemic bias against members of the black community, and Todd shares the first time he heard someone in his social network express support for discriminatory practices as well as the first time he saw firsthand how people from different races and ethnicities can experience very different living conditions in their neighborhoods.

They also discuss whether a desire for psychological safety makes white Americans not want to think about or engage on issues of race and the risks more generally of not discussing and dealing with issues that we simply can’t avoid. So let’s get to that conversation now. Enjoy…

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

Have Racial Issues Improved or Are Racist Motivations Still Widespread? Aug 24, 2023

Andre and Todd discuss whether the motivations that fuel racial discrimination and inequality have decreased over the years or whether they have simply laid dormant ready to reemerge when times get tough.

We also discuss how much these racial prejudices get spoken in white circles and whether there is a link between racial prejudices and the policies that Americans support. So let’s get to that conversation now. Enjoy…

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

When Is The “Racist” Label Deserved? Aug 29, 2023

Andre and Todd ask… what motivates people to support policies that perpetuate racial inequities? Is it self interest? Ideology? Racial bias? White supremacy?

As part of that conversation, Andre shares how he himself reacted to a property tax bill, that would dramatically lower his taxes, but would take away from public schools that support opportunity for many local Black children. Let’s get to that conversation now. Enjoy…

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

What a Black American Wishes White People Would See About Black People Aug 31, 2023

In the last episode, we discussed how some Americans view black Americans as having a victim mentality when they push for racial equity. In this episode, Todd asks Andre what he would instead like white people to know about the black community that he feels is not generally acknowledged by them.

What do some white people miss about us in the black community because of the stereotypes expressed in how we’ve been painted over history, and how have these biases affected me and other members of the black community? Let’s get to that conversation now. Enjoy…

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

How a Black Man Feels He is Portrayed and Received in American Culture Sep 05, 2023

Andre shares with Todd the ways he's seen black people portrayed by leaders and in the media and the messages it sends about black people. Andre and Todd also discuss how black and white behaviors and views can be misinterpreted and misunderstood and the challenges that can create for racial relationships. So let’s get to that conversation. Enjoy…

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

Is the Push for Racial Diversity an Issue of Fairness or Divisive Identity Politics? Sep 07, 2023

Andre and Todd discuss whether or not there should be a push for black people to have more equal representation in media and positions of power and we react to some of the critiques of that push. Should we strive to include people with a wide range of experiences and perspectives in our media and leadership? And does doing so in any way conflict with being fair and impartial? Let’s get to that conversation. Enjoy…

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

A Black Man and White Man Get Emotional: How Their Stories Converged? Sep 12, 2023

In this episode, Todd shares with Andre his epiphany about one of the ways that Andre's mistrust of white people has played into their own relationship and their working together on this Healing Race project, and Todd connects that epiphany with his grandfather’s story and the way his grandfather experienced mistrust as a Jewish Holocaust survivor.

In his grandfather’s story, Andre sees a parallel to the caution that he brings to white relationships, and Todd and Andre have a particularly touching moment as they discuss the way Todd's grandfather dealt with his mistrust at the end of his life. So let’s get to the conversation. Enjoy…

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

What Stops Us from Having “Real” Conversations about Race? Oct 10, 2023

Andre and Todd reflect on the personally profound conversation they had in the previous episode. Andre shares what led him to resonate so emotionally with Todd’s grandfather’s story, and how his grandfather’s experience very much spoke to how the black community has had to navigate being black in America throughout our history here. Andre also asks how Todd would approach conversations with people who simply deny someone’s stories of prejudice, discrimination, or hate and they discuss what it takes to not take things personally or get defensive when having difficult conversations about race. So let’s get to that conversation now. Enjoy…

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

What is the White & Black Responsibility for Healing Racial Divides? Oct 17, 2023

Andre and Todd ask themselves, “What is the White responsibility in overcoming racial conflict, prejudice, and inequities, what is the black responsibility, and who has the responsibility to lead that process? Todd asks Andre what led him to lower the walls that typically guard his heart in conversations with white people during their Healing Race conversation... even amid the caution that he usually brings to white relationships. Todd also asks Andre about the kindnesses he’s been shown by white people and the impact they have had on how he interacts with the white community. So let’s get to that conversation now. Enjoy…

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

Skin Color or Personal Responsibility: What Plays More of a Role in Life Success? Oct 24, 2023

Andre shares how he expects his life success and his lighter “black” skin to lead viewers to doubt whether he has ever had to face racial bias in his life, and Todd asks him how he feels that some in the black community will attribute his success more to his lighter skin than his individual initiative.

That leads Andre and Todd to discuss the roles that skin color and personal responsibility play in Americans’ success, and which of these factors deserve more attention in our society today. So let’s get to that conversation now. Enjoy…

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

Is the Backlash to Cancel Culture about Racial Issues Justified? Nov 07, 2023

Todd and Andre tackle what has come to be known as “cancel culture,” discussing what they like and what they don’t like about how we talk about and treat each other in this “cancel culture” world. They also discuss the backlash that can occur when people feel that their speech and behavior are unfairly stifled.

What is the line between canceling someone and criticizing them for behaviors that are taken as offensive? How do we distinguish what is ignorance and what is harmful intent when it comes to those offensive behaviors? And when do punishments go too far in responding to such behaviors? Let’s get to that conversation now. Enjoy…

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

Is It Disrespectful for a White Person to Adopt Black Culture? Nov 14, 2023

Andre and Todd discuss the all-black majorette dance team started at USC that received criticism from people who think that majorette dancing, which has its roots and plays an important role at historically black colleges and universities, shouldn’t be represented at a predominantly white college. They talk about the tension that can exist between cultural sharing and cultural appropriation - where people from one culture inappropriately, or in an unacknowledged way, adopt parts of another culture.

On one hand, there is a natural tendency for culture to spread, which is important because it can bring people together across cultural divides and it shares the inspiring diversity of human cultures. On the other hand, when a part of a group’s culture is strongly tied to their identity, to their historical traditions, or perhaps to some painful parts of their history, others adopting it can feel disrespectful or even exploitative, particularly for groups who have historically been exploited. How do we navigate that tension? Let’s get to that conversation now. Enjoy…

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

Adopting Black Culture: Insensitive Violation Or Desired Cultural Sharing? Nov 21, 2023

Andre and Todd continue discussing what makes some members of the Black community upset when parts of their culture are adopted by others. What is at the root of those feelings? How can you adopt parts of another culture, particularly one that has been historically exploited and persecuted, in a way that is respectful and accepted?

To make it even more personal and real, Andre and Todd discuss an incident from early in our friendship where Todd expressed wanting to put his hair in cornrows, a traditionally black hairstyle. What about that idea didn’t, and still doesn’t, sit right with Andre? And what might explain the different feelings people have about the spread of their cultures to others? Let’s get to that conversation now. Enjoy…

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

Response to Glenn Loury & John McWhorter: Should a White Artist Be Chosen for a Harriet Tubman Monument? - Part 1 Nov 28, 2023

Andre and Todd respond to a discussion between Glenn Loury and John McWhorter about a Harriet Tubman statue commissioned in Philadelphia that was awarded to a white artist. Loury and McWhorter critique responses from some black people who say that black Americans should be the ones to tell their own stories.

Is the story of Harriet Tubman only Black history, or should it be owned by all Americans as American history? Is it possible to tap into a common humanity whereby we can tell each other’s stories in an authentic, compelling way? Has enough trust been built with the black community such that white creatives can tell black stories through public works of art, and what does it look like for such trust to be built? Let’s get to that conversation now. Enjoy…

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

Response to Glenn Loury & John McWhorter: Does A Victim Narrative Stop Black Americans from Letting Go of Racial Issues? - Part 2 Dec 05, 2023

Andre and Todd continue discussing Glenn Loury and John McWhorter’s video about the Harriet Tubman statue that was awarded to a white artist. Can a white artist create monuments to the black experience in a way that is authentic and impactful?

And are Black Americans who say “no” to that question just too attached to a victimhood narrative, as McWhorter suggests they are? Todd starts the video by asking Andre how he would feel about a white artist winning this kind of commission if it was evaluated in a race-blind way by a group that included ample black judges. Let’s get to that conversation now. Enjoy…

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

Should We Grow a Thicker Skin When It Comes To Racial Issues? Dec 12, 2023

Andre and Todd talk more about political correctness and what some call “cancel culture” - where people who say or do something that’s seen as politically incorrect are punished in some way. Should we just grow a thick skin that makes us resilient at times we might feel disrespected?

Or should we also change the ways that we treat each other to bring more respect and inclusiveness to our interactions? Andre and Todd connect the discussion to racial history as well as to the word “racist” itself, exploring what is and is not racist and the role the word plays as a tool for social punishment. So let’s get to that conversation now. Enjoy…

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

Can Black & White Americans Talk Openly About Race Without Blowback and Blowups? Mar 05, 2024

What happens when four Americans - two black and two white - meet each other and have their first conversation about race together? For this next season of Healing Race, Andre and Todd will be bringing guests from across America together onto the show to ask the questions that they most want to discuss, or that they think our society should be talking about, when it comes to race.

In the first episode of Season 2, we start this new Healing Race journey with Marin, Susan, Landon and Marcus - who grew up in Georgia, Texas and Utah and bring a range of backgrounds and beliefs to the conversation. Their conversations were meaningful, impactful, and show what can happen when people bring curiosity, openness, and grace to a topic as charged as race is in our country.

Andre and Todd had the privilege to talk with each guest before they met. So before we get to their conversations, let’s meet them first. The video starts with Andre introducing the Healing Race show to the guests and then we learn a bit about their motivations and background.

If you want to get right to their conversation with each other, you can skip this video and go right to the next Season 2 episode. If you’d like to meet them first, stay with us here and enjoy…

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

Are White Americans Taught to Feel Negatively About Blacks Growing Up? Mar 05, 2024

Over the course of the next few episodes, you will see our first ever group of guests - four Americans, two black, two white - have their first conversation about race together. They start by sharing how their backgrounds have uniquely shaped their approach to race and why they wanted to take part in a Healing Race conversation. Marin then asks the white guests what they learned about black people growing up.

Landon and Susan candidly share what they learned and experienced within their communities, schools, colleges, and through moving to new cities; they share how they feel about those experiences looking back; and they also reflect on how their experiences shaped their views about black people over time and about the role of race in our country and in their lives. So let’s get to that conversation now. Enjoy…

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

Do Black Americans Still Have To Face More Obstacles Growing Up? Mar 21, 2024

Thank you for tuning into Healing Race. In this episode, our four guests continue to discuss how their upbringings shaped their views about race. Marin and Marcus share what they learned as Black Americans growing up about what it means to be black or white in our country. The conversation touches on the role of race in standards of beauty, in how we see - or don’t see - ourselves represented in books and media, and in what it takes to succeed in our country.

What kind of effect can race have on how we see ourselves, who we want to be, and what others expect us to be as we grow up? This conversation opens up an emotional window into the ways race can seep into our upbringings, and it provided a chance for our guests to find some common experiences and outlooks, while also showing that having the same racial identity does not always mean that you have the same kind of life experiences. So let’s get to that conversation now. Enjoy…

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

Do Black Americans Use U.S. History To Feel Like Victims or Victors? Mar 26, 2024

Thank you for tuning into Healing Race. In this episode, our four guests - Marin, Susan, Landon and Marcus - talk about how they view our racial history. Landon wonders how the other guests process the good, the bad and the ugly of our history, particularly as it relates to race - do we feel bitterness or espouse a victim narrative? Do we idealize our nation and its history and focus too much on our human triumphs rather than our moral failings? Or do we feel something in between or more nuanced?

Our guests also begin discussing how we should think about responsibility for the racial wrongs done in our nation’s history. Does tolerance of a racial wrong - even when not committing that actual wrong - morally implicate someone in the wrong? Do our ancestors’ racial wrongs implicate us now? For racial reconciliation do we need a racial reckoning? Let’s get to those conversations now. Enjoy…

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

Were Racial Justice Protests Right to Call for "Defunding" the Police? Mar 28, 2024

In this episode, our four guests discuss racial protests and policing. Why have some of today’s protests become more violent or destructive than the silent, nonviolent marches that have taken place in decades past? Is this more forceful approach necessary to create social change?

Our guests also explore their feelings about police and the idea of defunding the police. What’s changed in the relationship between police and the black community in recent decades, and what are the motivations and challenges for the defund-the-police idea? Is the police force driven by racial profiling and racial bias, or does the media simply spin a racial injustice narrative? Is police violence toward Black Americans a product of racialization or a product of challenges within the black community? Let’s get to those conversations now. Enjoy…

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Are Black Cops Part of A Policing Problem or Policing Solution? Apr 02, 2024

In this episode, our guests discuss their feelings about policing and the way that police are viewed and treated in America today. Marcus pointedly asks why he, as a black police officer, is outcast from his black community because of his choice to be a cop. Should black cops be seen as Uncle Toms and race traitors or be a source of Black pride and police reform? Are black cops a target or racialization in the same way that black civilians might?

Marcus is also asked how he balances the support and pride he feels for the police force with the racial bias or racial profiling that he also knows can exist within the force? Should police officers be held to a higher standard in how biases influence their behavior than the community members they are paid to protect? How should we understand policing and racial justice in the midst of the Black Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter narratives? Let’s get to those conversations now. Enjoy…

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

Should Black Americans Get Reparations For Past Racial Wrongs? Apr 04, 2024

In this episode, Landon asks how we can make progress in putting our racial past behind us and focus more on our future together. Would resolving racial inequalities make a difference Are America's racial disparities still a product of racial injustice? Should economic reparations be part of the solution? What do our guests think about intensely debated ideas like affirmative action and reparations?

And is there any role for conversations like the ones we have on Healing Race that are focused on building greater understanding and healing racial divides? Susan asks how we can even have these sensitive conversations about race when there is such a strong threat of being called out, be judged as a racist, and maligned for one’s views. Let’s get to those conversations now. Enjoy

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

Do White Americans Understand the Black American Experience? Sep 10, 2024

In this episode, Marin asks Susan how her perceptions and beliefs around race have evolved given her upbringing in a Southern community where open racial bigotry was commonplace and racial segregation was the norm.

What kind of life experiences can shape and re-shape our views about race, and how do we handle new information that contradicts what we’ve been socialized to believe about each other?

What can lead us to rely less on racial stereotypes and toward greater racial reconciliation?

Landon also shares his evolution having grown up as a Mormon in conservative Utah. How does media, popular music (like rap), and what we learn about history impact how Black Americans are viewed?

And what happens when someone like Marin doesn’t fit those racial stereotypes?

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

Do Black Americans Overplay The Racism That Exists Today? Sep 17, 2024

Our guests talk about whether it’s time to let go of thinking about race relations through the prism of our difficult racial history. Have times changed enough when it comes to the role of race in society and the impact of skin color on Americans’ lives to think differently about the way race does or does not divide us today?

Marin, Susan, Marcus and Landon also discuss the difficulty that exists in trying to offer constructive feedback to the country in a way that doesn’t come across as antagonistic toward or ungrateful for the opportunities our country provides.

Finally, they talk about the tricky terrain of Black Americans being proud of their unique history and culture when some take it as us not being proud to be Americans as well.

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

Should We Focus on Race When Teaching U.S. History? Sep 24, 2024

How can our country teach the good and the bad of our history in a way that confronts the racial challenges we've had while also highlighting the good that we've brought to our country and the world?

Can we teach our racial history in a way that isn’t watered down - covering the range of discrimination, persecution, and prejudice that has existed - but that also doesn’t create defensiveness with Americans who feel proud of what our country has accomplished?

And can using race as a way to frame our education go too far, as expressed by opponents of "critical race theory" and "anti-racism" approaches?

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

How Should America's Founding Be Judged Given Its Stand On Race? Oct 01, 2024

Our guests discuss whether early White Americans truly believed that black people weren’t fully human, or if they simply rationalized that belief to themselves to justify maintaining the institution of slavery and the power and prosperity it gave them.

Marin, Susan, Marcus and Landon also discuss if we should prioritize or minimize learning American history through a racial lens, covering the racial prejudice, discrimination and persecution that Black Americans have endured?

More generally, can we teach U.S. history in a way that captures the unique experiences and perspectives of diverse Americans but that doesn’t breed defensiveness and racial and ethnic divisions among Americans?

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

Do Cops Over-Police Blacks in America? Oct 08, 2024

Is over-policing a racial issue in America? How do we resolve the long-standing problems between police and the Black community? And how does a black cop deal with these tensions?

Do police use more force against Black Americans; if so, why does it happen; and what should America do about it? Would having a more diverse police force help? Would investing more in communities plagued by crime help?

Our guests discuss these questions and also explore 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?

Is police violence toward Black Americans a product of challenges within the black community or a product of racialization of Black Americans?

To be a guest on Healing Race, email us at guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email us at topics@HealingRaceShow.com

Americans Get Real On Black-Police Tensions Oct 15, 2024

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 guests@HealingRaceShow.com

To suggest a topic for Healing Race, email topics@HealingRaceShow.com

Black & White Americans REVEAL Their Racial & Political Biases Oct 29, 2024

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.

Is America A Meritocracy OR Are Racial Inequities Real? Nov 19, 2024

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.

Does America Need DEI & Affirmative Action? Jan 14, 2025

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?

Do White People Mistrust Black Leaders? Jan 28, 2025

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?

Americans Divided: Do We Focus Too Much on Race? Feb 04, 2025

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?

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