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Long-time friends Don Griffin, Jr. and Amy Makice, LCSW explore societal issues through the authentic lens of relational-cultural practices. 'My Racist Friend' is a podcast about the messy parts of relationships that help us grow together. Through the authentic lens of their strong mutual relationship, their goal is to model difficult conversations that can promote understanding and connection in a world that needs both.
Episodes
Tuesday Mar 30, 2021
Tuesday Mar 30, 2021
This week, Amy and Don welcome Dr. Froswa' Booker-Drew into their conversation. Dr. Booker-Drew is the Vice President of Community Affairs & Strategic Alliances for the State Fair of Texas and shares some of her experiences and insights working with the non-profit community.
Additional resources:
- "Froswa' Booker-Drew: A Champion for South Dallas Nonprofits" (Dallas Doing Good, by Roselle Tenorio)
https://www.dallasdoinggood.com/doing-good/froswa-booker-drew-a-champion-for-south-dallas-nonprofits - Marybeth Gasman (Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marybeth_Gasman - "United Way Scandal Puts New Focus on Nonprofit Pay Levels" (Los Angeles Times, by Matt Marshall, Mary 14, 1992)
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-05-14-mn-3008-story.html - "The Real Salary Scandal" (Stanford Social Innovation Review, by Peter Manzo, Winter 2004)
https://ssir.org/articles/entry/the_real_salary_scandal - "The 20 Best State Fairs in America" (BLT)
https://www.vacationsmadeeasy.com/TheBLT/The20BestStateFairsinAmerica.html
Special thanks to BCC interns, Rylie Cook and Constance Johnson, for helping with research for this season.
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Thursday Mar 25, 2021
Thursday Mar 25, 2021
Prompted by announcements of a price increase for water services and a home-buying incentive to attract new police officers, Amy and Don discuss the complexities of government funding and the mission of policing, sharing some stories of encounters where police were called.
Additional resources:
- "Bloomington City Council Approves 18% Water Rate Increase Starting In 2022" (Indiana Public Media, by Ethan Burks, March 18, 2021)
https://indianapublicmedia.org/news/city-council-approves-cbu-water-rate-increase-starting-in-2022.php - "Bloomington Outlines Incentives To Attract New Police Officers" (Indiana Public Media, by Adam Pinsker, March 12, 2021)
https://indianapublicmedia.org/news/bloomington-outlines-incentivestoattract-new-police-officers.php - "Bloomington City Council approves $166 million city budget for 2021" (Indiana Daily Student, by Mel Fronczek, October 15, 2020)
https://www.idsnews.com/article/2020/10/bloomington-city-council-approves-166-million-city-budget-for-2021-covid-19-recovery - "Alternatives to the Police" (McGill Daily, by Evan Dent, Molly Korab, and Farid Rener, March 2018)
https://www.mcgilldaily.com/PoliceIssue/Restorative-Justice.html - Mandate In-Service Training (IN.gov, ILEA)
https://www.in.gov/ilea/2525.htm
Special thanks to BCC interns, Rylie Cook and Constance Johnson, for helping with research for this season.
Buy "Your Racist Friend" by They Might Be Giants on iTunes
Wednesday Mar 17, 2021
Wednesday Mar 17, 2021
Don and Amy welcome back Dr. Amy Banks, who brings her co-author, Isaac Knapper, to discuss their upcoming book, "Fighting Time"—a story of their 36-year journey from murder to meeting. Dr. Banks' father, Ronald, was shot and killed on April 29, 1979, as he left the Hyatt Regency hotel in New Orleans. Isaac, who along with Amy was 16 at the time, was wrongfully convicted of the murder and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole in the Louisiana State Penitentiary. She and her younger sister, Nancy, traveled to meet and ultimately befriend Isaac in 2015.
Additional resources:
-
"Fighting Time" (Regal House Publishing, by Amy Banks and Isaac Knapper, 2021)
https://www.regalhousepublishing.com/product/fighting-time/ -
"How Can White Folks Join the Fight to End Systemic Racism?" (Pact Press, by Amy Banks, September 16, 2020)
http://pactpress.com/2020/09/how-can-white-folks-join-the-fight-to-end-systemic-racism/ -
"The Social Impact of Wrongful Conviction" (YouTube, Wellesley Centers for Women, April 7, 2017)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10kzlovflQ8 -
"Wrongly Incarcerated Singer Archie Williams Delivers Unforgettable Song - America's Got Talent 2020" (YouTube, by America's Got Talent, May 22, 2020)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShgOH1u78XA -
"What AGT didn't tell you about Archie Williams | America's Got Talent 2020" (YouTube, by Epic Top Trending, May 30, 2020)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-lRVS9DNK0 -
"The last time New Orleans Mardi Gras parades were canceled, here's what happened" (NOLA, by Matt Sledge, February 7, 2021)
https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/mardi_gras/article_3ab27242-6804-11eb-b241-176657eea9a2.html -
Banks v. Hyatt Corp. (April 11, 1984)
https://www.ravellaw.com/opinions/e61e4dbb2ff1dfc5691f607065c49c0c
Special thanks to BCC interns, Rylie Cook and Constance Johnson, for helping with research for this season.
Buy "Your Racist Friend" by They Might Be Giants on iTunes
Tuesday Mar 09, 2021
Tuesday Mar 09, 2021
Don confirms his good news about a role change that will have him playing a large role in bridging and resolving issues within the Bloomington community. Amy shares her joy for Don as he takes on a new challenge, as well as apprehensions about increased criticism. Also included are some brief discussion of "Coming to America" and poet Amanda Gorman being followed home.
Additional resources:
- "Deputy Mayor Mick Renneisen Plans Retirement in April" (City of Bloomington, February 17, 2021)
https://bloomington.in.gov/news/2021/02/17/4767 - "Mayor Hamilton Announces Don Griffin, Jr. to be Next Deputy Mayor" (City of Bloomington, March 4, 2021)
https://bloomington.in.gov/news/2021/03/04/4785 - People's Cooperative Market
https://www.peoplesmarketbtown.org/ - "Bloomington police respond to records request, release footage of Seminary Park welfare check on man found dead hours later on Christmas Eve" (B Square Beacon, by Dave Askins, March 2, 2021)
https://bsquarebeacon.com/2021/03/02/bloomington-police-respond-to-records-request-release-footage-of-seminary-park-welfare-check-on-man-found-dead-hours-later-on-christmas-eve/ - "Eddie Murphy And Arsenio Hall Say That 'Coming To America' Was Forced To Include A White Person" (Shadow and Act, by Niko Rose, March 4, 2021)
https://shadowandact.com/eddie-murphy-and-arsenio-hall-say-that-coming-to-america-was-forced-to-include-a-white-person - "Amanda Gorman Says A Security Guard Followed Her Home Because She 'Looked Suspicious'" (Blavity, by Leslie D. Rose, March 6, 2021)
https://blavity.com/amanda-gorman-says-a-security-guard-followed-her-home-because-she-looked-suspicious
Special thanks to BCC interns, Rylie Cook and Constance Johnson, for helping with research for this episode.
Buy "Your Racist Friend" by They Might Be Giants on iTunes
Saturday Feb 20, 2021
Saturday Feb 20, 2021
Don and Amy start this week's discussion with a job listing by the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields that sought a director to “attract a broader and diverse audience while still maintaining the Museum’s traditional, core, white art audience.” The conversation also includes antique shops selling symbols of white supremacy in Oregon, students calling out teachers and organizations for racism, and a possibly inevitable revisiting of John Hughes films.
Additional resources:
- "Newfields job posting sparks community controversy" (The Butler Collegian, Emma Quasny, February 17, 2021)
https://thebutlercollegian.com/2021/02/newfields-job-posting-sparks-community-controversy/ - "Letter from our Board of Trustees and Board of Governors" (Newfields, February 27, 2021)
https://discovernewfields.org/statement - "Curator calls Newfields culture toxic, discriminatory in resignation letter" (Indianapolis Star, by Domenica Bongiovanni, July 28, 2020)
https://www.indystar.com/story/entertainment/arts/2020/07/18/newfields-curator-says-discriminatory-workplace-toxic/5459574002/?fbclid=IwAR2DlqMFjJR-_w4HhZtr8ZwODyjVXnVbmhhvj0vLNGoCeg9MkDgD1RpekwA - "The Indiana Murals" (Indiana University Bloomington)
https://murals.sitehost.iu.edu/history/index.html - "Symbols Of White Supremacy Confront Oregon Shoppers At Antiques Mall" (NPR, by Emily Cureton, February 14, 2021)
https://www.npr.org/2021/02/14/961532763/symbols-of-white-supremacy-confront-oregon-shoppers-at-antique-mall - Oregon black exclusion laws (Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_black_exclusion_laws - "When Portland banned blacks: Oregon's shameful history of an 'all-white' state" (The Washington Post, by DeNeen L. Brown, June 7, 2017)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2017/06/07/when-portland-banned-blacks-oregons-shameful-history-as-an-all-white-state/ - "Black Voices: IU Panhellenic Association member says group's post promoted white saviorism" (Indiana Daily Student, by Agness Lungu, February 11, 2021)
https://www.idsnews.com/article/2021/02/iu-panhellenic-sororities-white-saviorism-circle-of-sisterhood-instagram - "Teacher redefines n-word to Black student in AP history class" (NBC, by Dave Elias, February 16, 2021)
https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2021/02/15/teacher-redefines-n-word-to-black-student-in-ap-history-class/ - "What About 'The Breakfast Club'?" (New Yorker, by Molly Ringwald, April 6, 2018)
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/personal-history/what-about-the-breakfast-club-molly-ringwald-metoo-john-hughes-pretty-in-pink
Special thanks to BCC interns, Rylie Cook and Constance Johnson, for helping with research for this episode.
Buy "Your Racist Friend" by They Might Be Giants on iTunes
Sunday Feb 14, 2021
Sunday Feb 14, 2021
After talking about racism evident in a couple national news stories, Amy brings a recent example of her own racism to discuss with Don. Together, they dive deep into taking responsibility for making anti-oppression training easier, the need to let other people in relationships voice their own experience with harm, and the limited role listening and empathy plays in growth.
Additional resources:
- "Country star Morgan Wallen sees album sales spike despite industry backlash over N-word video" (NBC News, by Wilson Wong, February 8, 2021)
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/country-star-sees-sales-spike-despite-industry-backlash-over-n-n1257065 - "Mind and Body: Outcomes of a lifesaving procedure reveal systemic racism" (Inverse, by Sarah Sloat, February 3, 2021)
https://www.inverse.com/mind-body/heart-transplant-systemic-racism-study
Special thanks to BCC interns, Rylie Cook and Constance Johnson, for helping with research for this episode.
Buy "Your Racist Friend" by They Might Be Giants on iTunes
Saturday Feb 06, 2021
Saturday Feb 06, 2021
Don and Amy discuss the Strategies of Disconnection, a key concept in Relational-Cultural Theory about the practice of hiding parts of yourself in order to maintain relationships. Amy also talks with Don about some recent news items that land on the Racism Radar—including a Southern Baptist pastor and Bloomington's new Racial Equity Task Force—and makes a pitch to listen to the New York Times serial podcast about schools, Nice White Parents, hosted by Chana Joffe-Walt.
Additional resources:
- "Bedford Man Arrested After Hiding Missing Juvenile" (WBIW, February 2, 2021)
http://www.wbiw.com/2021/02/02/bedford-man-arrested-after-hiding-missing-juvenile/ - "City of Bloomington seeks applications for resident-led Racial Equity Task Force" (Indiana Daily Student, by Christina Avery, January 27, 2021)
https://www.idsnews.com/article/2021/01/bloomington-racial-equity-task-force - "Racial Equity Task Force Application to Serve" (City of Bloomington)
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSddYYYYVu8DAhIY2g9oXcb7O1hJq9NGt7ww47Tl53mrEybJHQ/viewform - Nice White Parents podcast (Serial Productions)
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nice-white-parents/id1524080195 - "IU environmental project to begin at former shooting ranges" (IU News Room, June 12, 2003)
https://newsinfo.iu.edu/news-archive/1005.html - "How I-65/70 shattered Black neighborhoods" (Indianapolis Recorder, December 27, 2018)
https://indianapolisrecorder.com/c57d7e9c-09e4-11e9-b276-83369364ae4e/ - Catalog of Terms (International Center for Growth and Connection)
https://www.growthinconnection.org/catalog-of-terms-index - "Justin Bieber & benny blanco - Lonely (Official Music Video)" (YouTube, by Justin Bieber, October 16, 2020)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQOO2xGQ1Pc - "Arlington pastor Dwight McKissic receives racist letter after leaving Southern Baptists of Texas Convention" (The Dallas Morning News, by Brandi Addison, February 3, 2021)
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/faith/2021/02/03/arlington-pastor-dwight-mckissic-receives-racist-letter-after-leaving-southern-baptists-of-texas-convention/
Special thanks to BCC interns, Rylie Cook and Constance Johnson, for helping with research for this episode.
Buy "Your Racist Friend" by They Might Be Giants on iTunes
Monday Feb 01, 2021
Monday Feb 01, 2021
After overcoming some technical problems, Don joins Amy for a wide-ranging conversation about national politics and the possibility of the GameStop short squeeze becoming common ground for both ends of the political spectrum. The friends touch on a few items in the news, including the local challenges of providing shelter for unhoused people who have been trying to survive in tents pitched in public parks.
Special thanks to Six Umbrellas, whose song "Asset House" provides the beats for Don's debut (presumably) in electronic music.
Additional resources:
- "Trump opens 'Office of the Former President' in Florida" (CBS News, by Melissa Quinn, January 27, 2021)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/office-of-the-former-president-trump-florida/ - "Tens of thousands of voters drop Republican affiliation after Capitol riot" (The Hill, by Reid Wilson, January 27, 2021)
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/536113-tens-of-thousands-of-voters-drop-republican-affiliation-after-capitol?rl=1 - "Republican Party faces rage from both pro- and anti-Trump voters" (Reuters, by Peter Eisler, Chris Kahn, Tim Reid, Simon Lewis, and Jarrett Renshaw, January 13, 2021)
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-supporters-insight/republican-party-faces-rage-from-both-pro-and-anti-trump-voters-idUSKBN29J08S - "Trump political team disavows "Patriot Party" groups" (Axios, by Lachlan Markay, January 25, 2021)
https://www.axios.com/trump-political-team-disavows-patriot-party-groups-f97c1a07-2541-4ba9-baee-6e31ced88bfa.html - Patriot Party (1960s-1980s) (Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriot_Party_(1960s%E2%80%931980s) - "GameStop And The Short Squeeze" (NPR, by Paddy Hirsch and Stacey Vanek Smith, January 27, 2021)
https://www.npr.org/2021/01/27/961291455/gamestop-and-the-short-squeeze - "Saagar Enjeti: Wall Street Elites DESTROYED, Beaten By Redditors At Their Own RIGGED Game" (YouTube, The Hill, January 27, 2021)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ToOGrUQ7ME - "Should Betting Against Companies Be Illegal?" (Dave Manuel)
https://www.davemanuel.com/2019/05/28/should-short-selling-be-illegal/ - "THIS. IS. THE. TYPE. OF. ENERGY. I. NEED. IN. MY. LIFE. DO. NOT. SELL." (Twitter, @GenelJumalon, January 28, 2021)
https://twitter.com/geneljumalon/status/1354806165968834568?s=21 - "Defund the Mounties? Native peoples call for changes to Canada’s policing" (Christian Science Monitor,
By Moira Donovan and Sara Miller Llana, January 25, 2021)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Daily/2021/20210125 - "Froswa' Booker-Drew: A Champion for South Dallas Nonprofits" (Dallas Doing Good, by Roselle Tenorio)
https://www.dallasdoinggood.com/doing-good/froswa-booker-drew-a-champion-for-south-dallas-nonprofits - "Where To Find Free Wi-Fi Hotspots In Monroe County" (Indiana Public Media, by Payton Knobeloch, March 25, 2020)
https://indianapublicmedia.org/news/where-to-find-free-wi-fi-hotspots-in-monroe-county.php - "'Everybody has a right to live': Protesters criticize mayor, BPD after Seminary Square Park eviction" (Indiana Daily Student, by Cate Charron, December 12, 2020)
https://www.idsnews.com/article/2020/12/everybody-has-a-right-to-live-protesters-criticize-mayor-bpd-after-seminary-square-park-eviction - "Bloomington City Council members drafting ordinance to better protect homeless camps" (Indiana Daily Student, by Madison Smalstig, January 31, 2021)
https://www.idsnews.com/article/2021/01/bloomington-homeless-camps-ordinance
Buy "Your Racist Friend" by They Might Be Giants on iTunes
Saturday Jan 23, 2021
Saturday Jan 23, 2021
Fresh off of another successful peaceful transition of power in the U.S.—and despite attempts to the contrary two weeks earlier—Don and Amy enjoy the moments of joy that broke through the clouds in the form of President Joe Biden's inauguration, even as they acknowledge the problems that persist. The highlight of that event for many came from poet Amanda Gorman, whose words spoke of the messy and unfinished nature of this country. Their conversation also touches on the cult of QAnon, a new podcast where a man listens to women, growing up in the Bicentennial, and the two degrees of separation that connect them to the T.V. show "Glee."
Additional resources:
- "The shock and awe of Donald Trump's final days" (Salon, by Heather Digby Parton, January 22, 2021)
https://www.salon.com/2021/01/22/the-shock-and-awe-of-donald-trumps-final-days/?fbclid=IwAR1C3XVD28cUaL0Pkru37XNxPwtKzM3ZW1HjbMZ9WPVKIVqe-TLIFyBmGXw - "QAnon believers are in disarray after Biden is inaugurated" (CNN Business, by Brian Fung and Karen Yurieff, January 21, 2021)
https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/20/tech/qanon-believers-inauguration-reaction/index.html - "How Stuart Watson became 'A Man Listening' to women" (WBUR, January 19, 2021)
https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2021/01/19/stuart-watson-man-listening - "Poet Amanda Gorman reads 'The Hill We Climb'" (YouTube, ABC News, January 20, 2021)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz4YuEvJ3y4 - "READ: Transcript of Amanda Gorman's inaugural poem" (The Hill, January 20, 2021)
https://thehill.com/homenews/news/535052-read-transcript-of-amanda-gormans-inaugural-poem - "The Story of the 1975-1976 AMERICAN FREEDOM TRAIN" (by Larry Wines)
https://www.freedomtrain.org/american-freedom-train-home.htm - "Choir director earns Lifetime Achievement Award" (The Republic, by Brian Blair, June 3, 2016)
http://www.therepublic.com/2016/06/04/a_salute_to_the_choirmaster/ - "From 'Nip/Tuck' to High School 'Glee'" (NPR Fresh Air, by Terry Gross, May 15, 2009)
https://www.npr.org/transcripts/104199257 - "Chicago native uses real life for 'Glee' inspiration" (Chicago Tribune, September 9, 2009)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2009-09-09-0909090178-story.html - "Biden inheriting nonexistent coronavirus vaccine distribution plan and must start 'from scratch,' sources say" (CNN, by MJ Lee, January 21, 2021)
https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/21/politics/biden-covid-vaccination-trump/index.html
Buy "Your Racist Friend" by They Might Be Giants on iTunes
Saturday Jan 16, 2021
Saturday Jan 16, 2021
Amy and Don discuss a statement from the Monroe County Black Democratic Caucus seeking transparency in the search for a new superintendent to head the local school corporation. This conversation covers the importance of representation and the problems inherent in sustaining a Good-Ol'-Boy network. The friends also note the similarities between the people who stormed the Capitol last week and those who arrived in 2019 to support the presence of white supremacists in the city farmers' market.
Additional resources:
- "As a community that strives and struggles ..." (Press Release, by Monroe County Black Democratic Caucus, January 13, 2021)
https://www.facebook.com/MCBlackDems/posts/2146847068784500 - The Mill: Fast 15 (Dimension Mill, December 22, 2020)
https://dimensionmill.org/fast15-awards/?fbclid=IwAR09DZAfJTyCYK_6FWA0QlbM_XmTFajQLE4jHyS4T89Hwp1gM-IkwzpTdh0#markay - "Indiana students wore a Confederate flag to school. Now the flag is banned." (Indianapolis Star News, by Vic Ryckaert and Holly V. Hays, October 27, 2016)
https://www.indystar.com/story/news/education/2016/10/27/indiana-students-wore-confederate-flag-school-now-flag-banned/92823636/ - "Towing company employee fired for video about death of George Floyd" (WTHR, by Emily Longnecker, June 12, 2020)
https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/george-floyd-tik-tok-video-towing-company-employee-fired/531-59a2a9a8-1910-4d5c-a63f-bcbb5391e7fd - "Timeline: How Trump mob stormed the US Capitol, forcing Washington into lockdown" (USA Today, by George Petras, Janet Loehrke, Ramon Padilla, Javier Zarracina and Jennifer Borresen, January 13, 2021)
https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/2021/01/06/dc-protests-capitol-riot-trump-supporters-electoral-college-stolen-election/6568305002/ - "Decoding the extremist symbols and groups at the Capitol Hill insurrection" (CNN, by Mallory Simon and Sara Sidner, January 11, 2021)
https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/09/us/capitol-hill-insurrection-extremist-flags-soh/index.html - "Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone" (Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitol_Hill_Autonomous_Zone - "The Things You Are Getting Wrong About White Supremacists Is What Allows Them To Grow" (Medium, by Gwen Frisbie-Fulton, January 12, 2021)
https://gwenfrisbiefulton.medium.com/the-things-you-are-getting-wrong-about-white-supremacists-is-what-allows-them-to-grow-553fa1cf54c8
Buy "Your Racist Friend" by They Might Be Giants on iTunes