Reflecting on Race in America

This is from Crooks and Liars:

Bill Moyers Journal, which unfortunately is probably not on the top of most Americans TIVO list for Friday nights, recently dove head on into some of our country’s darker days -- days that many in the South would probably prefer to forget, when slavery was no longer legal, but still practiced by an economy addicted to slavery, and unwilling to let it go.  In this installment of his program, Bill Moyers interviewed Douglas Blackmon, author of the book, Slavery by Another Name, and it is truly worth your time to watch the entire interview.

With a Presidential election that has brought the issue of race front and center and forced us to confront the reasons for racial divides, understanding the past and how it relates to the racial tensions that still exist in this country is an important discussion for anyone who would like to finally heal those wounds.  Hopefully, one day we may move to a place where race is no longer an issue, or a way to keep a segment of the population from ever achieving equality.

Douglas Blackmon delves into a time that has helped to shape the views of African Americans towards our judicial system, our law enforcement, and our legislators. Open dialogue about what happened during those dark days, and how we move forward to make sure that it does not continue today is a discussion I hope more Americans have as we ponder whether we may have our first black President and what that will mean for our country and the future of race relations.

Comments

[Catherine Moore]

Greetings US History Guy/Gal,

I'm the Researcher for a new public radio show about history called "Backstory," based in Charlottesville, VA, at the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities. You can check out our website here for stations, show times, podcasts, and more: www.backstoryradio.org. "Backstory" is a call-in show hosted by three friendly University of Virginia historians you may have heard of: Peter Onuf, Ed Ayers, and Brian Balogh.

We're currently producing a show about the history of racial purity in America. As I mentioned, we're a call-in show, but since only a few episodes have aired, not everyone knows to call in! What we're looking for are people who have a question about this topic for our hosts. Consider them a dream team of historians--this is your chance to ask them /anything you like/ about the history of racial purity in America. You can see a description of the show on our website for ideas.

Given your recent blog post, we thought you might be interested in what we're up to and perhaps participating.

So what do you say? Can you help us out by signing up to be a caller? We're recording callers for this show on the afternoon of Saturday, 6/28. The whole thing takes about eight minutes. It's not live, so there's no pressure. This is a unique opportunity for anyone who has a burning question about race history, or simply wants to chat with three great historians, have their fifteen minutes of fame, and support history scholarship. If race history doesn't float your boat, check back to our website for future shows and join in the discussion. And please feel free to forward this message to anyone you know who might be interested.

I'd appreciate any assistance you could offer. Email me or give me a call. Thanks!

Catherine Moore
Researcher, "Backstory"
Virginia Foundation for the Humanities Radio
Charlottesville, VA
434-924-4403