1 00:00:14,036 --> 00:00:22,156 Speaker 1: Pushing. Well, y'all, y'all actually read the book. After man, 2 00:00:22,196 --> 00:00:24,916 Speaker 1: we don't play. We don't play. Here are some of 3 00:00:24,916 --> 00:00:28,196 Speaker 1: my best friends are my goodness, yeah, y'all not faking. 4 00:00:31,756 --> 00:00:35,636 Speaker 1: I'm Khalil Jibrad Muhammad and I'm Ben Austin. We're two 5 00:00:35,676 --> 00:00:39,756 Speaker 1: best friends, one black, one white. I'm a historian and 6 00:00:39,836 --> 00:00:42,516 Speaker 1: I'm a journalist. And this is some of my best 7 00:00:42,556 --> 00:00:45,676 Speaker 1: friends are. Some of my best friends are dot dot dot. 8 00:00:46,676 --> 00:00:50,116 Speaker 1: In this show, we wrestle with the challenges and the 9 00:00:50,236 --> 00:00:54,516 Speaker 1: absurdities of a deeply divided and unequal country. And this 10 00:00:54,556 --> 00:00:58,956 Speaker 1: week we're talking about the political history of interracial friendships. 11 00:00:59,276 --> 00:01:05,676 Speaker 1: Come on, man, our story. This is our story, political history, 12 00:01:05,716 --> 00:01:20,476 Speaker 1: all right. So a little while ago, we each got 13 00:01:20,476 --> 00:01:22,476 Speaker 1: a book in the mail. Yeah. This book is by 14 00:01:22,596 --> 00:01:26,756 Speaker 1: an author, a political scientist named Saladein Ambar. The books 15 00:01:26,756 --> 00:01:31,636 Speaker 1: titled Stars and Shadows the Politics of Interracial Friendship from 16 00:01:31,756 --> 00:01:35,156 Speaker 1: Jefferson to Obama, The whole Gamut of Black and White 17 00:01:35,196 --> 00:01:37,996 Speaker 1: Friendship in the History of the United States, Alpha to 18 00:01:38,076 --> 00:01:41,076 Speaker 1: the Omega. And you know, we get this book in 19 00:01:41,116 --> 00:01:42,796 Speaker 1: the mail and the first thing we think about is 20 00:01:43,396 --> 00:01:47,836 Speaker 1: are we in it? That's right? Yeah, because I mean 21 00:01:48,036 --> 00:01:50,516 Speaker 1: how could we not be. I mean, who's had an 22 00:01:50,516 --> 00:01:53,036 Speaker 1: interracial friendship for thirty six years that you know, you 23 00:01:53,076 --> 00:01:55,476 Speaker 1: at least weren't sleeping with the other person. I was 24 00:01:55,596 --> 00:01:57,996 Speaker 1: leafing through it. I was looking through it. And so 25 00:01:58,756 --> 00:02:01,596 Speaker 1: this book totally intrigued us. We start going to the 26 00:02:01,596 --> 00:02:03,756 Speaker 1: table of contests and looking what's in it and these 27 00:02:03,796 --> 00:02:06,396 Speaker 1: pairings of black and white friendships from the last two 28 00:02:06,476 --> 00:02:08,996 Speaker 1: hundred years. Yeah, it was. It was surprising. I mean, 29 00:02:09,436 --> 00:02:10,916 Speaker 1: first of all, I didn't even know about some of 30 00:02:10,956 --> 00:02:13,476 Speaker 1: these relationships. And then others which I knew about, like 31 00:02:13,876 --> 00:02:18,276 Speaker 1: Benjamin Bannaker, the famous black mathematician, had a correspondence with 32 00:02:18,356 --> 00:02:22,076 Speaker 1: Thomas Jefferson. It was like holding Thomas Jefferson's feet to 33 00:02:22,076 --> 00:02:24,676 Speaker 1: the fire, like, dude, you know, you got to show 34 00:02:24,756 --> 00:02:27,636 Speaker 1: up for black people. And then the most famous black 35 00:02:27,716 --> 00:02:32,036 Speaker 1: intellectual W. E. B. Du Boys is celebrating his relationship 36 00:02:32,116 --> 00:02:34,596 Speaker 1: with the most famous philosopher of the time, a guy 37 00:02:34,636 --> 00:02:36,876 Speaker 1: named William James. And I was like, hum, I was 38 00:02:36,916 --> 00:02:39,876 Speaker 1: a little surprised, And we were also dubious about this book. 39 00:02:39,876 --> 00:02:42,116 Speaker 1: I mean got to admit, you know that in many 40 00:02:42,116 --> 00:02:46,276 Speaker 1: of these cases, these people were not especially close friends, 41 00:02:46,796 --> 00:02:49,596 Speaker 1: and you know, so much of the premise of our show, 42 00:02:49,796 --> 00:02:52,476 Speaker 1: like here we have the show where we're interracial friends, 43 00:02:52,916 --> 00:02:55,676 Speaker 1: is that those kind of connections alone are not the 44 00:02:55,716 --> 00:02:57,756 Speaker 1: thing that are going to bring about structural change in 45 00:02:57,796 --> 00:03:01,076 Speaker 1: the country. That's right, that's right. So we had soliden 46 00:03:01,156 --> 00:03:03,676 Speaker 1: on the show. He goes by Dean because now he's 47 00:03:03,676 --> 00:03:06,916 Speaker 1: one of our friends as well, and you know, like 48 00:03:07,276 --> 00:03:08,716 Speaker 1: we had to talk to him about this, and one 49 00:03:08,716 --> 00:03:10,996 Speaker 1: of the things he points out that like, even when 50 00:03:10,996 --> 00:03:13,196 Speaker 1: there's not a lot of there there in the friendship, 51 00:03:13,596 --> 00:03:16,716 Speaker 1: what he's interested in is the politics of it, which 52 00:03:16,756 --> 00:03:20,276 Speaker 1: is in a way sort of like friendship as symbolism. 53 00:03:20,316 --> 00:03:23,196 Speaker 1: That's right. Yeah, And because that cuts against the grain 54 00:03:23,396 --> 00:03:25,916 Speaker 1: in many ways of our show, we're poking fun of that, 55 00:03:25,996 --> 00:03:29,236 Speaker 1: you know, like some of our best friends are. He's 56 00:03:29,276 --> 00:03:32,316 Speaker 1: making kind of a stronger argument that actually, in that 57 00:03:32,396 --> 00:03:37,316 Speaker 1: symbolism suggests the possibility of something of structural change, of 58 00:03:37,356 --> 00:03:42,116 Speaker 1: what he calls democratic possibilities. So let's talk to him. Yes, yeah, 59 00:03:42,156 --> 00:03:54,516 Speaker 1: so let's talk to Dean. Heyy, welcome, welcome, We are 60 00:03:54,556 --> 00:03:58,556 Speaker 1: so excited, Professor Salah Dean, I'm bar is on. Some 61 00:03:58,676 --> 00:04:02,116 Speaker 1: of my best friends are then, yes, yes, this is 62 00:04:02,156 --> 00:04:07,836 Speaker 1: a conversation we have been dying to have about interracial friendships. Yep, 63 00:04:08,116 --> 00:04:10,476 Speaker 1: right up our alley. Yes, I appreciate you guys building 64 00:04:10,476 --> 00:04:12,916 Speaker 1: a podcast around this book, so thank you very much. 65 00:04:12,956 --> 00:04:15,516 Speaker 1: That was very kind of you. The heart of our 66 00:04:15,676 --> 00:04:19,596 Speaker 1: podcast is that we built this idea that friendships are 67 00:04:19,636 --> 00:04:22,036 Speaker 1: important but then not going to get us to the 68 00:04:22,036 --> 00:04:24,796 Speaker 1: promised land. I wanted us to start this conversation with 69 00:04:24,836 --> 00:04:28,996 Speaker 1: you being sort of talking about the inspiration for the book, 70 00:04:29,116 --> 00:04:31,636 Speaker 1: because I have to say, when I saw the title 71 00:04:31,676 --> 00:04:33,996 Speaker 1: and I skimmed the cover of the book before I 72 00:04:33,996 --> 00:04:37,636 Speaker 1: read it, I thought, no, I'm not convinced, Like, what's 73 00:04:37,636 --> 00:04:41,556 Speaker 1: this guy talking about like interracial friendships and like political 74 00:04:41,596 --> 00:04:44,876 Speaker 1: projects and something about democracy? So I'm packed that a 75 00:04:44,876 --> 00:04:46,956 Speaker 1: little bit. You know, what is this book really about? 76 00:04:47,316 --> 00:04:50,276 Speaker 1: I was a little bit concerned too, to be honest 77 00:04:50,316 --> 00:04:52,076 Speaker 1: with you. And you know, the last thing I wanted 78 00:04:52,156 --> 00:04:53,676 Speaker 1: was to write a book where people thought, well, we 79 00:04:53,676 --> 00:04:56,516 Speaker 1: could just friend our way out of white supremacy, right, 80 00:04:56,556 --> 00:04:59,116 Speaker 1: and there we go, hintred we could just you know, 81 00:04:59,316 --> 00:05:01,676 Speaker 1: just be friends. Why can't we get along? That was 82 00:05:01,716 --> 00:05:03,996 Speaker 1: the last thing I was hoping for. If you really 83 00:05:04,036 --> 00:05:07,076 Speaker 1: look at the two books I wrote Before this, I 84 00:05:07,116 --> 00:05:10,556 Speaker 1: wrote a book called Malcolm x At for Union, Politics 85 00:05:10,596 --> 00:05:15,676 Speaker 1: of Global Race Relations, and that book really spoke to 86 00:05:15,716 --> 00:05:20,036 Speaker 1: sort of my upbringing, my conversion Islam during my teen years, 87 00:05:21,236 --> 00:05:23,956 Speaker 1: and how that influenced me politically. And I was very 88 00:05:23,996 --> 00:05:25,796 Speaker 1: much drawn like a lot of people growing up in 89 00:05:25,836 --> 00:05:29,796 Speaker 1: New York were who were black. Anyway, to Malcolm's teachings, 90 00:05:29,876 --> 00:05:33,196 Speaker 1: you dropped some nuggets there. So so grew up in 91 00:05:33,236 --> 00:05:36,636 Speaker 1: New York, came of age sometime assuming in the late 92 00:05:36,676 --> 00:05:41,076 Speaker 1: eighties as a teenager when Malcolm was becoming a kind 93 00:05:41,116 --> 00:05:45,156 Speaker 1: of avatar for black resistance to the world drugs and 94 00:05:45,156 --> 00:05:50,676 Speaker 1: all that deal. Yeah, this is the era of public enemy. Uh, 95 00:05:51,116 --> 00:05:54,316 Speaker 1: you know, the power all of that man. And did 96 00:05:54,356 --> 00:05:56,916 Speaker 1: you have did you have white friends at the time 97 00:05:57,156 --> 00:06:00,596 Speaker 1: or people who were Latino or Asian? Was was your 98 00:06:00,636 --> 00:06:04,356 Speaker 1: crew integrated? Well yes and no. So it's you know, 99 00:06:04,396 --> 00:06:06,356 Speaker 1: I kind of lived a bit of a double life, 100 00:06:07,676 --> 00:06:09,036 Speaker 1: you know. I was about to say. The next book 101 00:06:09,116 --> 00:06:12,076 Speaker 1: I wrote was about Mario Cuomo for New York and 102 00:06:12,956 --> 00:06:16,756 Speaker 1: because he was because he's really a black dude. Maybe 103 00:06:17,156 --> 00:06:22,276 Speaker 1: maybe maybe, but you know, Mario and his Italian heritage 104 00:06:22,316 --> 00:06:25,316 Speaker 1: spoke to my own because my mom's family, you know, 105 00:06:25,396 --> 00:06:30,036 Speaker 1: comes from sicily her side. Um. And so you know, 106 00:06:30,356 --> 00:06:34,116 Speaker 1: the point about Malcolm was, I think I needed to reaffirm, 107 00:06:34,716 --> 00:06:38,516 Speaker 1: you know, who Malcolm meant to me, what my blackness 108 00:06:38,516 --> 00:06:42,036 Speaker 1: meant to me. But also moving on to you know, Mario, 109 00:06:42,276 --> 00:06:44,236 Speaker 1: I had to focus on or I was drawn to 110 00:06:44,276 --> 00:06:47,796 Speaker 1: focusing on that side of my heritage as well. And 111 00:06:47,836 --> 00:06:49,556 Speaker 1: then I think this is a kind of this book 112 00:06:49,636 --> 00:06:51,676 Speaker 1: is in many ways a kind of synthesis, you know, 113 00:06:51,916 --> 00:06:55,676 Speaker 1: of me dealing with both ends of uh, you know, 114 00:06:55,756 --> 00:06:59,356 Speaker 1: that sort of psychological backdrop to who I am as 115 00:06:59,356 --> 00:07:01,796 Speaker 1: a human being. And so I think I was grappling, 116 00:07:02,036 --> 00:07:05,756 Speaker 1: frankly with some of my own questions about identity and 117 00:07:05,796 --> 00:07:12,836 Speaker 1: who I am in the world. In Stars and Shadows, 118 00:07:12,876 --> 00:07:15,876 Speaker 1: the book that we read, you look at ten different friendships. 119 00:07:15,916 --> 00:07:19,156 Speaker 1: They're spanning two hundred years of American history, starting with 120 00:07:19,196 --> 00:07:22,276 Speaker 1: Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Bannaker and going all the way 121 00:07:22,316 --> 00:07:24,756 Speaker 1: to Obama and Biden. And on the way you've got 122 00:07:24,876 --> 00:07:27,636 Speaker 1: James Baldwin and Marlon Brando. You've got Angela Davis and 123 00:07:27,676 --> 00:07:30,996 Speaker 1: Gloria Steinham. You've got a lot of different relationships in there. 124 00:07:31,636 --> 00:07:34,556 Speaker 1: And don't forget the ultimate Black and Jewish relationship doctor 125 00:07:34,596 --> 00:07:37,996 Speaker 1: Martin Luther King Junior and Rabbi Joshua Heschel. Boy, how 126 00:07:38,036 --> 00:07:41,796 Speaker 1: could I forget on? Man? Yeah? Man? Right? You know, 127 00:07:42,076 --> 00:07:44,236 Speaker 1: in a lot of ways, the book is also a 128 00:07:44,396 --> 00:07:46,876 Speaker 1: history of America and a history of race and racism 129 00:07:46,876 --> 00:07:50,556 Speaker 1: told through these these relationships. I thought we could pause 130 00:07:50,596 --> 00:07:53,276 Speaker 1: for a second though, and like actually try to talk 131 00:07:53,316 --> 00:07:56,556 Speaker 1: a little bit more about what friendship really means in 132 00:07:56,556 --> 00:08:00,516 Speaker 1: this context, and to talk about like the terms we're using, 133 00:08:00,556 --> 00:08:02,596 Speaker 1: like what is an interracial friendship? And how are we 134 00:08:02,636 --> 00:08:05,676 Speaker 1: talking about it here? Well, you know, I've tried to 135 00:08:05,716 --> 00:08:08,756 Speaker 1: go back to, you know, the French revolutionary ideal of 136 00:08:09,156 --> 00:08:13,956 Speaker 1: Herne Tay because I think unlike ordinary you know, daily 137 00:08:13,996 --> 00:08:20,156 Speaker 1: friendship among ordinary citizens, for Tony Tay had political implications. 138 00:08:20,596 --> 00:08:22,556 Speaker 1: You know, Benjamin Bannaker had a lot of white friends. 139 00:08:22,596 --> 00:08:24,436 Speaker 1: All his friends were white. He was a free black 140 00:08:24,436 --> 00:08:26,876 Speaker 1: man in rural Maryland. He was a farmer, and he 141 00:08:26,996 --> 00:08:29,716 Speaker 1: was surrounded by whites and they were his friends and 142 00:08:29,876 --> 00:08:32,516 Speaker 1: he got along, but you know, he was not involved 143 00:08:32,516 --> 00:08:35,516 Speaker 1: in a political project with them. And I think what 144 00:08:35,636 --> 00:08:38,236 Speaker 1: happened with Jefferson and he is that he got involved 145 00:08:38,236 --> 00:08:40,356 Speaker 1: in a political project. So Dean, what you mean by 146 00:08:40,396 --> 00:08:45,356 Speaker 1: political project is that Jefferson had written a racist book 147 00:08:45,356 --> 00:08:47,556 Speaker 1: called Notes on the State of Virginia that essentially said 148 00:08:47,556 --> 00:08:50,796 Speaker 1: black people were fundamentally inferior to white people. And here 149 00:08:50,836 --> 00:08:54,116 Speaker 1: Bannaker is, who's helped build the nation's capital and is 150 00:08:54,196 --> 00:08:56,716 Speaker 1: now sending Jefferson and almanac, and he's like, dude, if 151 00:08:56,716 --> 00:09:01,036 Speaker 1: we're inferior, how can I be this incredible scientist and mathematician. 152 00:09:01,316 --> 00:09:04,076 Speaker 1: That's right. In other words, he wanted to use an 153 00:09:04,076 --> 00:09:07,396 Speaker 1: attempted friendship, in his case, a connection he was trying 154 00:09:07,436 --> 00:09:10,476 Speaker 1: to make, you know, signing his letter using the language 155 00:09:10,476 --> 00:09:13,836 Speaker 1: of my brethren, and you know, your humble, obedient servant, 156 00:09:13,916 --> 00:09:17,716 Speaker 1: Jefferson responds back to him. He's using a kind of 157 00:09:17,796 --> 00:09:21,516 Speaker 1: breakthrough of social relations to make a political statement. And 158 00:09:21,556 --> 00:09:24,676 Speaker 1: I think these ten case studies are about taking with 159 00:09:25,036 --> 00:09:27,476 Speaker 1: what one has on a private level. And I think 160 00:09:27,516 --> 00:09:31,596 Speaker 1: maybe you guys can speak to this better than most. 161 00:09:31,996 --> 00:09:34,076 Speaker 1: You had your friendship, it was what it was. But 162 00:09:34,156 --> 00:09:37,436 Speaker 1: now when when it's a podcast becomes part of a 163 00:09:37,836 --> 00:09:41,716 Speaker 1: public form, man, you know, it involves something a little heavier. 164 00:09:41,756 --> 00:09:45,036 Speaker 1: It becomes it's not just you know, two guys getting 165 00:09:45,196 --> 00:09:47,436 Speaker 1: bagels or hanging out or listening to music or whatever 166 00:09:47,516 --> 00:09:50,836 Speaker 1: y'all do. Yeah, well, you definitely nailed us on the 167 00:09:50,836 --> 00:09:53,436 Speaker 1: bagels and the music that is a hangout. Come on 168 00:09:53,476 --> 00:09:59,156 Speaker 1: man then used to deliver bagels. But let's let's let's 169 00:09:59,196 --> 00:10:01,636 Speaker 1: talk about this work because you you know, in some ways, 170 00:10:01,676 --> 00:10:04,556 Speaker 1: i'm you know, it's interesting to about why these relationships 171 00:10:04,596 --> 00:10:08,156 Speaker 1: are so difficult in America. And you know, you cite 172 00:10:08,156 --> 00:10:11,356 Speaker 1: this study during the Obama years that you said, three 173 00:10:11,436 --> 00:10:14,436 Speaker 1: quarters of white people don't have a black friend, and 174 00:10:14,516 --> 00:10:16,836 Speaker 1: two thirds of black people don't have a white friend, 175 00:10:17,316 --> 00:10:20,836 Speaker 1: and that is the state of America. And even even 176 00:10:20,916 --> 00:10:24,556 Speaker 1: your book's title Stars and Shadows, it comes from Mark 177 00:10:24,596 --> 00:10:28,716 Speaker 1: Twain's Huckleberry Finn. Right, Huck and Jim are on the 178 00:10:28,796 --> 00:10:31,756 Speaker 1: raft and there it's nighttime and they look up and 179 00:10:31,876 --> 00:10:34,956 Speaker 1: all they have to navigate by our stars and shadows. 180 00:10:35,436 --> 00:10:39,756 Speaker 1: And so you think about Huck and Jim on the raft, 181 00:10:40,116 --> 00:10:43,276 Speaker 1: about their friendship and they're bond, you could call it 182 00:10:43,316 --> 00:10:46,156 Speaker 1: if it's not a friendship, but that it exists really 183 00:10:46,236 --> 00:10:49,156 Speaker 1: only on the raft and the raft of this idea 184 00:10:49,156 --> 00:10:52,636 Speaker 1: of being, you know, between two shores of not being 185 00:10:52,676 --> 00:10:55,796 Speaker 1: in America, of being this liminal space, and that's really 186 00:10:55,836 --> 00:11:00,316 Speaker 1: the only realm in which they can have this connection. Man, 187 00:11:00,396 --> 00:11:02,636 Speaker 1: that was deep. You see us the word liminal? Man, 188 00:11:02,996 --> 00:11:04,876 Speaker 1: You know, I han't heard uson's grad school. Man. So 189 00:11:04,916 --> 00:11:07,236 Speaker 1: that's I'm here with two professors. I'm trying to like 190 00:11:07,316 --> 00:11:11,116 Speaker 1: punch above my weight. So yeah, man, of course you're 191 00:11:11,156 --> 00:11:13,436 Speaker 1: punching outside your way class, but we're gonna give you 192 00:11:13,436 --> 00:11:15,876 Speaker 1: a chance to catch up with us. Look, we've been 193 00:11:15,916 --> 00:11:18,276 Speaker 1: in this relationship for thirty five years, and I'm beginning 194 00:11:18,276 --> 00:11:21,436 Speaker 1: to wonder are we even in an interracial relationship or friendship? 195 00:11:21,476 --> 00:11:23,596 Speaker 1: What the hell's going on? So when we come back 196 00:11:23,596 --> 00:11:25,676 Speaker 1: from the break, we're gonna actually nail this thing down. 197 00:11:25,996 --> 00:11:49,116 Speaker 1: What is an interracial friendship? Welcome back to some of 198 00:11:49,156 --> 00:11:53,076 Speaker 1: my best friends are We're talking with saladein Ambar, who 199 00:11:53,156 --> 00:11:57,556 Speaker 1: goes by Dean. So, Dean, what is an interracial friendship? 200 00:11:57,716 --> 00:12:01,836 Speaker 1: Let's define this. I think, you know, these interracial friendships 201 00:12:02,556 --> 00:12:07,276 Speaker 1: carry great possibilities in part because they involve, you know, 202 00:12:07,316 --> 00:12:13,516 Speaker 1: a kind of spiritual dimension to life, because they involved 203 00:12:13,596 --> 00:12:16,636 Speaker 1: matters of the heart, you know. And I think that 204 00:12:17,036 --> 00:12:19,596 Speaker 1: because because of what they overcome, I mean, why would 205 00:12:19,596 --> 00:12:22,436 Speaker 1: that be different than another relationship? Well, I think back 206 00:12:22,476 --> 00:12:26,236 Speaker 1: to your point about we're in America, you know, UM, 207 00:12:26,436 --> 00:12:31,076 Speaker 1: and and pretty much any multi racial society that has 208 00:12:31,156 --> 00:12:33,396 Speaker 1: and all of them have been tanked, if not driven 209 00:12:33,436 --> 00:12:38,036 Speaker 1: by white supremacy these several hundred years now. UM, you know, 210 00:12:38,196 --> 00:12:43,236 Speaker 1: place a premium on um, you know, following suit with 211 00:12:43,596 --> 00:12:46,956 Speaker 1: what is alike rather than what is different. There's a 212 00:12:47,036 --> 00:12:50,316 Speaker 1: kind of stress and inherent stress, I would say, involved 213 00:12:51,116 --> 00:12:54,796 Speaker 1: in these kinds of relationships and connections that don't take 214 00:12:54,836 --> 00:12:57,876 Speaker 1: place in the same way that they do in ordinary friendships, 215 00:12:57,876 --> 00:13:00,676 Speaker 1: which it can be stress stressful enough, you know, if 216 00:13:00,716 --> 00:13:03,756 Speaker 1: people are being truly honest with themselves. Well, this is 217 00:13:03,796 --> 00:13:07,436 Speaker 1: something that I want to just take a moment to 218 00:13:07,676 --> 00:13:11,236 Speaker 1: discuss a bit further. And that is in your ten 219 00:13:11,356 --> 00:13:14,316 Speaker 1: case studies. And this is not a criticism so much 220 00:13:14,316 --> 00:13:19,916 Speaker 1: as an observation. Man, most of these cats weren't actually friends. Yeah, Like, 221 00:13:20,036 --> 00:13:23,196 Speaker 1: what would you call it if it's a well, I 222 00:13:23,196 --> 00:13:26,116 Speaker 1: would call it a relationship, right, because I can think 223 00:13:26,156 --> 00:13:30,556 Speaker 1: of a thousand different scenarios, particularly in my professional work, 224 00:13:30,756 --> 00:13:33,716 Speaker 1: where I am connected to someone and that through that 225 00:13:33,756 --> 00:13:36,796 Speaker 1: connection we make something happen, and it might even be 226 00:13:36,836 --> 00:13:40,156 Speaker 1: something of some political important to happen, but I wouldn't 227 00:13:40,156 --> 00:13:43,356 Speaker 1: necessarily call those folks friends. And I'm curious for you, 228 00:13:43,996 --> 00:13:47,036 Speaker 1: how important was it that people see these as friendships 229 00:13:47,116 --> 00:13:51,636 Speaker 1: rather than as connections, relationships somewhat even transactional. It's a 230 00:13:51,676 --> 00:13:55,836 Speaker 1: great point. I think the key to is the politics 231 00:13:56,436 --> 00:13:58,916 Speaker 1: of inter racial friendship. So you take two boys and 232 00:13:58,996 --> 00:14:02,476 Speaker 1: William James at Harvard. You know, these are not people 233 00:14:02,476 --> 00:14:04,436 Speaker 1: who are hanging out. They're not getting the bagels and 234 00:14:04,476 --> 00:14:06,476 Speaker 1: go and you know, going to the jazz spot, right 235 00:14:06,516 --> 00:14:09,916 Speaker 1: And I think this is to your point, Khalila, you know, 236 00:14:09,956 --> 00:14:12,436 Speaker 1: the authenticity and depth of the friendships if they were 237 00:14:12,476 --> 00:14:15,276 Speaker 1: friends at all, it's in ordinary terms, we would not 238 00:14:15,276 --> 00:14:17,636 Speaker 1: describe the boys and James as friends. But the boys 239 00:14:17,876 --> 00:14:20,436 Speaker 1: uses that language. He goes out of his way to 240 00:14:20,636 --> 00:14:24,716 Speaker 1: call James my friend. He you know, extols his relationship 241 00:14:24,756 --> 00:14:27,116 Speaker 1: and connection with him for many years because in part, 242 00:14:27,196 --> 00:14:29,916 Speaker 1: the boys has a political project in mind here. He 243 00:14:29,916 --> 00:14:31,916 Speaker 1: first of all, he wants to connect himself and black 244 00:14:31,996 --> 00:14:36,516 Speaker 1: intellect to the greatness that James represented. So that's an important, 245 00:14:36,876 --> 00:14:39,076 Speaker 1: you know, project of his own right there. He wants 246 00:14:39,116 --> 00:14:42,236 Speaker 1: to situate himself as a social equal with James, an 247 00:14:42,236 --> 00:14:45,876 Speaker 1: intellectual equal. With James, but also um by extension in 248 00:14:45,956 --> 00:14:49,276 Speaker 1: proxy all other black folk in the country. I think 249 00:14:49,316 --> 00:14:52,476 Speaker 1: that's his political project, and he goes out of his 250 00:14:52,556 --> 00:14:54,836 Speaker 1: way to talk about James in those terms. James does 251 00:14:54,876 --> 00:14:57,956 Speaker 1: not call the boys his friend ever. He has a 252 00:14:58,116 --> 00:15:01,556 Speaker 1: letter that he just says, some mulatto grad student I have. 253 00:15:02,156 --> 00:15:04,876 Speaker 1: He writes a letter to his brother. That's right, and 254 00:15:04,916 --> 00:15:07,836 Speaker 1: so well, y'all, y'all actually read the book. We don't play. 255 00:15:07,996 --> 00:15:12,756 Speaker 1: We don't know. Some of my best friends are my goodness. Yeah, yeah, 256 00:15:12,756 --> 00:15:16,476 Speaker 1: I'll not faking it. You're appreciate it. So but I 257 00:15:16,516 --> 00:15:23,396 Speaker 1: think that's the point though. Okay, can we just talk 258 00:15:23,436 --> 00:15:25,836 Speaker 1: for a minute about the friendship between the writer James 259 00:15:25,836 --> 00:15:28,876 Speaker 1: Baldwin and the actor Marlon Brando. I could have been somebody. 260 00:15:28,916 --> 00:15:31,796 Speaker 1: I could have been a contender, Yes, Marlon Brando and 261 00:15:31,996 --> 00:15:35,836 Speaker 1: James Baldwin probably was the most intimate, you know, meaningful 262 00:15:35,876 --> 00:15:39,676 Speaker 1: relationship on a personal level that you know, most likely lovers, 263 00:15:39,716 --> 00:15:44,636 Speaker 1: and they were friends with benefits. Absolutely, Yeah, that was 264 00:15:44,676 --> 00:15:48,556 Speaker 1: a very powerful and real connection and friendship. You know, 265 00:15:48,636 --> 00:15:52,076 Speaker 1: You're right. Most of these would not be described conventionally 266 00:15:52,276 --> 00:15:55,196 Speaker 1: as friendships. These are not always people socially hanging out, 267 00:15:55,676 --> 00:15:58,836 Speaker 1: but all of them. I think the key is that 268 00:15:58,876 --> 00:16:02,556 Speaker 1: all of them have some of the parties, or if not, 269 00:16:02,636 --> 00:16:06,276 Speaker 1: both of them make the effort to use their friendship, 270 00:16:07,516 --> 00:16:11,156 Speaker 1: however lightly regarded it was, or held by either party, 271 00:16:11,476 --> 00:16:15,116 Speaker 1: to make some kind of democratic statement. Yeah, I got 272 00:16:15,116 --> 00:16:17,156 Speaker 1: a question for you, Khalil about that. You know, in 273 00:16:17,196 --> 00:16:19,516 Speaker 1: a way, that's a definition of not a friendship, like 274 00:16:19,516 --> 00:16:21,476 Speaker 1: if there's a use value to it. And it makes 275 00:16:21,476 --> 00:16:24,756 Speaker 1: me think about like after George Floyd and you know, 276 00:16:24,916 --> 00:16:28,876 Speaker 1: all the sort of concern that white people had in America, 277 00:16:28,956 --> 00:16:31,116 Speaker 1: they're thinking about their white privilege. It was really a 278 00:16:31,196 --> 00:16:34,836 Speaker 1: reckoning and and you know, this sort of permeated much 279 00:16:34,836 --> 00:16:36,796 Speaker 1: of the culture. I don't know if that was like, 280 00:16:36,996 --> 00:16:40,796 Speaker 1: that's not friendship, or maybe is that the moving toward 281 00:16:41,156 --> 00:16:45,756 Speaker 1: I think that what's interesting about how Dean just explained 282 00:16:45,756 --> 00:16:50,036 Speaker 1: this is there's something in the performance of the reaching 283 00:16:50,036 --> 00:16:53,556 Speaker 1: out in the midst of George Floyd that creates the 284 00:16:53,636 --> 00:16:57,676 Speaker 1: possibility for something more substantial. Hey, you're someone I know. 285 00:16:57,996 --> 00:17:00,596 Speaker 1: Can we talk about this as friends might? And so 286 00:17:00,636 --> 00:17:04,276 Speaker 1: the relationships may be superficial, but it's the invitation for 287 00:17:04,356 --> 00:17:08,436 Speaker 1: a deeper reflection that I think that Dean, you would say, 288 00:17:08,596 --> 00:17:13,876 Speaker 1: creates quote unquote democratic possibilities. I think so. Look, stagecraft 289 00:17:14,076 --> 00:17:18,596 Speaker 1: is important in politics. It's very important in a multiracial democracy. 290 00:17:19,436 --> 00:17:23,516 Speaker 1: And stagecraft, you mean the appearance of something as a 291 00:17:23,596 --> 00:17:27,516 Speaker 1: public good or a positive or a relationship. Even when 292 00:17:27,556 --> 00:17:29,916 Speaker 1: Lincoln calls out to Douglas in the White House, when 293 00:17:29,956 --> 00:17:33,516 Speaker 1: the guards in that their third meeting after the second 294 00:17:33,516 --> 00:17:38,436 Speaker 1: inaugural address, when they're escorting Douglas out of the White House, 295 00:17:38,716 --> 00:17:42,276 Speaker 1: Lincoln calls out to him, there's my friend Douglas. Now 296 00:17:42,276 --> 00:17:44,876 Speaker 1: they were not homies. They had two meetings prior to that, 297 00:17:44,996 --> 00:17:50,836 Speaker 1: two meetings and a letter. That's it. But you know, 298 00:17:50,876 --> 00:17:54,116 Speaker 1: when Lincoln calls out, there's my friend Douglas. That's for 299 00:17:54,156 --> 00:17:57,556 Speaker 1: the white guards. That's for the white attendees at the 300 00:17:57,556 --> 00:18:02,836 Speaker 1: inaugural ceremony and ball. That's for white America. Look, y'all, 301 00:18:03,036 --> 00:18:05,436 Speaker 1: when this thing is over, when this war ends, we 302 00:18:05,516 --> 00:18:09,036 Speaker 1: just can't, you know, have a de facto in name 303 00:18:09,316 --> 00:18:11,436 Speaker 1: only kind of citizenship for these folks. We have to 304 00:18:11,476 --> 00:18:15,236 Speaker 1: be their friends and that stagecraft. But we need it, 305 00:18:15,396 --> 00:18:18,276 Speaker 1: you know, yeah, yeah, you need it. That story reminds 306 00:18:18,316 --> 00:18:21,636 Speaker 1: me of this powerful New York leader introducing me to 307 00:18:21,676 --> 00:18:24,876 Speaker 1: a bunch of very wealthy white people, and in a 308 00:18:24,956 --> 00:18:28,476 Speaker 1: way that was like Khalil's demand, Like I came to 309 00:18:28,516 --> 00:18:32,996 Speaker 1: despise the term because this, like this euphemism of like 310 00:18:33,156 --> 00:18:36,516 Speaker 1: he's a smart, articulate black person as you the man, 311 00:18:36,716 --> 00:18:39,756 Speaker 1: or he's the man. Also felt like it not only 312 00:18:39,836 --> 00:18:42,676 Speaker 1: cheapened me as kind of a set piece in a 313 00:18:42,756 --> 00:18:46,636 Speaker 1: stage production, but also was not for my benefit. It 314 00:18:46,636 --> 00:18:48,996 Speaker 1: didn't actually credential me in any way. It just it 315 00:18:49,076 --> 00:18:52,996 Speaker 1: just said he's okay, Like he's okay in this space. Yeah, 316 00:18:53,036 --> 00:18:54,956 Speaker 1: if we're talking about a low end project or not 317 00:18:55,036 --> 00:18:58,156 Speaker 1: even a personal project or something that is connected to 318 00:18:58,316 --> 00:19:01,836 Speaker 1: self affirmation or being seen as cool, this is hard work. 319 00:19:01,916 --> 00:19:05,236 Speaker 1: This is you know, um, the tendency to fall over 320 00:19:05,276 --> 00:19:10,276 Speaker 1: into the cheap and the profane and the silly with respect. 321 00:19:10,436 --> 00:19:13,236 Speaker 1: It sounds like American popular culture. Yeah, it's right there, 322 00:19:14,036 --> 00:19:16,076 Speaker 1: right there. You know. Someone asked me, well, it's like 323 00:19:16,156 --> 00:19:19,396 Speaker 1: Kanye and Trump, right well exactly. I mean, someone said, 324 00:19:19,396 --> 00:19:21,436 Speaker 1: well you should do Beyonce and what if Paul Trow. 325 00:19:21,436 --> 00:19:22,916 Speaker 1: I was like, I don't know if that's the book 326 00:19:22,956 --> 00:19:25,316 Speaker 1: I'm talking about here, but you know, so when we 327 00:19:25,356 --> 00:19:27,156 Speaker 1: come back, we're going to talk about two more of 328 00:19:27,196 --> 00:19:31,036 Speaker 1: these high profile interracial friendships, two of them in which 329 00:19:31,076 --> 00:19:34,156 Speaker 1: the symbolism, you know it matters in a different kind 330 00:19:34,156 --> 00:19:56,396 Speaker 1: of way. Yeah, yeah, like breaking the color barrier. Yeah, 331 00:19:58,356 --> 00:20:00,796 Speaker 1: welcome back to some of my best friends. Are we 332 00:20:00,876 --> 00:20:05,036 Speaker 1: are talking about interracial friendships, and we are going to 333 00:20:05,076 --> 00:20:10,916 Speaker 1: the nineteen fifties for a very special friendship. Who are 334 00:20:10,916 --> 00:20:19,556 Speaker 1: your favorite people? Well, who are favorite person? I love 335 00:20:19,556 --> 00:20:24,116 Speaker 1: her as a person as I think she's And that's 336 00:20:24,116 --> 00:20:28,476 Speaker 1: Ella Fitzgerald. Wow, that's Marilyn Monroe. Given big ups to 337 00:20:28,556 --> 00:20:32,356 Speaker 1: Ella Fitzgerald. That's the friendship we want to talk about next. 338 00:20:32,556 --> 00:20:34,396 Speaker 1: Can you tell us about that story of like why 339 00:20:34,556 --> 00:20:37,356 Speaker 1: why it appealed to you? Well? What went down is 340 00:20:37,396 --> 00:20:40,316 Speaker 1: that Marilyn Monroe and Ella Fitzgerald had a kind of 341 00:20:40,436 --> 00:20:43,356 Speaker 1: casual friendship and connection. You know, it was not a 342 00:20:44,036 --> 00:20:46,236 Speaker 1: you know, a kind of acquaintance ship, you know, boring 343 00:20:46,236 --> 00:20:49,156 Speaker 1: on a friendship. And Marilyn Monroe is like every other 344 00:20:49,396 --> 00:20:52,716 Speaker 1: would be singer patterning herself off of Ella Fitzgerald. Why 345 00:20:52,756 --> 00:20:56,236 Speaker 1: wouldn't you. She's listening to tons of her music, trying 346 00:20:56,356 --> 00:20:59,116 Speaker 1: records and trying to learn, you know, her secrets. So 347 00:20:59,156 --> 00:21:03,436 Speaker 1: she has profound respect for for Ella, and ultimately she 348 00:21:03,916 --> 00:21:06,916 Speaker 1: hears that Ella will not be is not being booked 349 00:21:06,916 --> 00:21:09,916 Speaker 1: by Charlie Morrison, the owner of this mccambo club in Hollywood. 350 00:21:10,396 --> 00:21:13,596 Speaker 1: And the reason why she's not being booked is not 351 00:21:13,716 --> 00:21:17,236 Speaker 1: because she's black. It's because she's not sexy enough for 352 00:21:17,316 --> 00:21:21,276 Speaker 1: Charlie and for the white patrons who attend the Macombo Club. 353 00:21:21,276 --> 00:21:23,316 Speaker 1: They've had you know, the earth, the kids, and other 354 00:21:23,796 --> 00:21:29,796 Speaker 1: black women perform who fit the bill. So the point 355 00:21:30,036 --> 00:21:35,716 Speaker 1: is that, you know, so much of what transpires in 356 00:21:35,796 --> 00:21:38,996 Speaker 1: terms of how it's interpreted, is that somehow Marilyn uses 357 00:21:38,996 --> 00:21:42,156 Speaker 1: her stature to get Ella into the club because she 358 00:21:42,676 --> 00:21:46,396 Speaker 1: was opposed to racism. Well, Marilyn knew why she wasn't 359 00:21:46,436 --> 00:21:50,116 Speaker 1: being admitted into the club. It wasn't, again a color barrier. 360 00:21:50,156 --> 00:21:53,036 Speaker 1: It was a kind of you know, stereotype of women 361 00:21:53,156 --> 00:21:55,476 Speaker 1: and the kinds of women who should be allowed to 362 00:21:55,476 --> 00:21:59,716 Speaker 1: perform based on their looks. So you know, Marilyn does 363 00:21:59,756 --> 00:22:02,116 Speaker 1: stick her neck out. She does, you know, say hey, 364 00:22:02,516 --> 00:22:05,316 Speaker 1: you know, if you let Ella into the club, I'm 365 00:22:05,316 --> 00:22:07,476 Speaker 1: going to use my cache to have and tell all 366 00:22:07,516 --> 00:22:17,356 Speaker 1: my Hollywood friends to start to the Macombo. And right 367 00:22:17,356 --> 00:22:19,556 Speaker 1: away this gets a ton of publicity, like it's all 368 00:22:19,596 --> 00:22:22,676 Speaker 1: in the news, like Marilyn Monroe, and she's the actor, 369 00:22:22,876 --> 00:22:25,876 Speaker 1: and Fitzgerald is the acted upon like Merl Monroe is 370 00:22:25,916 --> 00:22:28,476 Speaker 1: kind of this white savior who gets talked about in 371 00:22:28,476 --> 00:22:31,276 Speaker 1: this way of getting her this gig and crossing the 372 00:22:31,356 --> 00:22:34,196 Speaker 1: color line. Yes, and you know, it becomes a white 373 00:22:34,196 --> 00:22:35,796 Speaker 1: savior story. I mean, I think I include a bunch 374 00:22:35,836 --> 00:22:39,876 Speaker 1: of headlines and Ella Saved by Maryland. Literally, these are 375 00:22:39,916 --> 00:22:43,796 Speaker 1: some of the kinds of titles for stories that go on. 376 00:22:44,636 --> 00:22:48,556 Speaker 1: But it doesn't make Marilyn Monroe any less courageous. And 377 00:22:48,636 --> 00:22:50,276 Speaker 1: what she did, she did stick her neck out of 378 00:22:50,356 --> 00:22:53,396 Speaker 1: another other people, other white performers would not have done 379 00:22:53,396 --> 00:22:55,356 Speaker 1: that and did not do what she did. So I think, 380 00:22:55,916 --> 00:23:00,916 Speaker 1: you know, we can't devalue her her politics, which were 381 00:23:00,916 --> 00:23:04,356 Speaker 1: pretty extraordinary for the time, and often undervalue because of 382 00:23:04,356 --> 00:23:08,476 Speaker 1: her beauty and her presentation and her esthetic by the 383 00:23:08,556 --> 00:23:11,636 Speaker 1: same tope, And I think that story is interesting to 384 00:23:11,676 --> 00:23:15,036 Speaker 1: me because of what it says about us, you know today, 385 00:23:15,316 --> 00:23:17,636 Speaker 1: right right, yeah, Yeah, that's one of the things that 386 00:23:17,716 --> 00:23:20,476 Speaker 1: you write about in the story, and that is that 387 00:23:20,876 --> 00:23:24,596 Speaker 1: there are children's books being written today published in twenty twenty. 388 00:23:24,636 --> 00:23:28,276 Speaker 1: You say that highlight this relationship, and of course there's 389 00:23:28,276 --> 00:23:31,156 Speaker 1: been an explosion of books since George Floyd. This isn't 390 00:23:31,156 --> 00:23:32,796 Speaker 1: one of the well, a couple of them that I 391 00:23:32,836 --> 00:23:36,076 Speaker 1: looked at weren't necessarily post Floyd, but they were part 392 00:23:36,076 --> 00:23:41,676 Speaker 1: of a moment of people searching for some example, some representation, 393 00:23:42,236 --> 00:23:45,636 Speaker 1: something symbolic. Yeah, yeah, I mean it really speaks to 394 00:23:45,756 --> 00:23:49,036 Speaker 1: why these stories are so appealing, even if there's not 395 00:23:49,316 --> 00:23:52,156 Speaker 1: a lot there, Like this is really about the idea 396 00:23:52,156 --> 00:23:54,076 Speaker 1: of it more than the substance, and in a way, 397 00:23:54,116 --> 00:23:56,836 Speaker 1: the substance is not as important as what, like, what 398 00:23:56,916 --> 00:24:00,396 Speaker 1: we're trying to pull through. It says that we want, 399 00:24:00,516 --> 00:24:03,476 Speaker 1: you know, to be validated for knowing the story as 400 00:24:03,556 --> 00:24:05,636 Speaker 1: much as for the actual story. Right. We don't care 401 00:24:05,676 --> 00:24:07,516 Speaker 1: if this if we get the story right, we want 402 00:24:07,516 --> 00:24:09,396 Speaker 1: to you know, frame the story in a certain way 403 00:24:09,436 --> 00:24:13,236 Speaker 1: that we can be validated. And it's okay to know that, 404 00:24:13,316 --> 00:24:16,756 Speaker 1: you know, Marilyn didn't save Ella. Her career was pretty 405 00:24:16,796 --> 00:24:18,756 Speaker 1: off the hook at that point. She was doing great, 406 00:24:18,876 --> 00:24:21,116 Speaker 1: you know, that's right. Yeah, I was doing just great. 407 00:24:21,156 --> 00:24:23,036 Speaker 1: They both were, but you know, she didn't get saved. 408 00:24:23,196 --> 00:24:25,236 Speaker 1: I mean, you know, she's playing plenty of other venues, 409 00:24:25,276 --> 00:24:27,836 Speaker 1: and she was doing all right. I was thinking about 410 00:24:27,916 --> 00:24:32,356 Speaker 1: why Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe's story is so alluring 411 00:24:32,476 --> 00:24:36,796 Speaker 1: for us today and maybe especially for white people, you know, 412 00:24:36,916 --> 00:24:39,676 Speaker 1: at a time when we're thinking a lot about being 413 00:24:39,876 --> 00:24:43,116 Speaker 1: fair and anti racist. And one of the things that 414 00:24:43,196 --> 00:24:47,116 Speaker 1: struck me is that it didn't really like what Marilyn 415 00:24:47,116 --> 00:24:50,516 Speaker 1: Monroe did. If we want to emulate that it doesn't 416 00:24:50,556 --> 00:24:53,436 Speaker 1: demand very much of us, then I hadn't thought about it, 417 00:24:53,596 --> 00:24:56,156 Speaker 1: and quite as stark a term as you just describe. 418 00:24:56,276 --> 00:25:00,516 Speaker 1: But it also means that it's so much easier to 419 00:25:00,596 --> 00:25:04,596 Speaker 1: actually do the kind of work that people like Marylyn did. 420 00:25:04,596 --> 00:25:06,876 Speaker 1: In this instance of saying, hey, look out for the singer. 421 00:25:06,956 --> 00:25:08,916 Speaker 1: She's amazing and I'm not coming back until you do, 422 00:25:09,436 --> 00:25:15,716 Speaker 1: the low hanging fruit almost makes the condemnation of the 423 00:25:15,836 --> 00:25:20,916 Speaker 1: slow pace of anti racist change even more revealing, Like 424 00:25:21,036 --> 00:25:23,756 Speaker 1: it in so many of these instances, it didn't even 425 00:25:23,796 --> 00:25:27,956 Speaker 1: demand much for someone to actually do something meaningful to 426 00:25:27,996 --> 00:25:36,236 Speaker 1: create the space of possibility. All right, So let's talk 427 00:25:36,236 --> 00:25:40,516 Speaker 1: about one more inter racial friendship, perhaps the most consequential 428 00:25:41,076 --> 00:25:45,356 Speaker 1: of all time. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe 429 00:25:45,396 --> 00:25:49,716 Speaker 1: Biden man the most important of all time. Wow, So 430 00:25:49,836 --> 00:25:52,756 Speaker 1: we want to know give us your take on these guys. 431 00:25:52,916 --> 00:25:54,836 Speaker 1: Was this a hard chapter to write? I mean, how 432 00:25:54,876 --> 00:25:58,436 Speaker 1: were you thinking about putting them into this story? How 433 00:25:58,516 --> 00:26:02,636 Speaker 1: did you want the reader to come away taking something 434 00:26:02,636 --> 00:26:06,956 Speaker 1: substantive about Barack Obama's the first black president and Joe 435 00:26:06,956 --> 00:26:10,076 Speaker 1: Biden as his vice president. You know that moment when 436 00:26:10,076 --> 00:26:14,196 Speaker 1: Barack Obama puts that Presidential Medal of Freedom around you know, 437 00:26:14,476 --> 00:26:18,796 Speaker 1: Joe Biden's neck, and Biden, you know, is holding can't 438 00:26:18,796 --> 00:26:22,396 Speaker 1: hold back the tears. That's a powerful moment, in part 439 00:26:22,436 --> 00:26:26,916 Speaker 1: because it says, you know, what's possible, and also I 440 00:26:26,956 --> 00:26:30,476 Speaker 1: think what's fearful for many white Americans? You know, I 441 00:26:30,476 --> 00:26:35,436 Speaker 1: don't know who fear the loss of them? You know, 442 00:26:35,516 --> 00:26:38,876 Speaker 1: rooted in demographic change, The idea that we're going to 443 00:26:38,956 --> 00:26:42,316 Speaker 1: have a sequence or series of black or multiracial presidents, 444 00:26:42,836 --> 00:26:47,956 Speaker 1: you know, leaders, etc. Conferring these honors is somewhat problematic 445 00:26:47,996 --> 00:26:50,556 Speaker 1: to them. So I think that that was that was 446 00:26:50,836 --> 00:26:54,036 Speaker 1: one of the critical elements to draw the contrast to 447 00:26:54,076 --> 00:26:56,996 Speaker 1: what had come before, all right, and so digging into 448 00:26:57,036 --> 00:27:01,796 Speaker 1: the actual substance of Joe Biden's and Barack Obama's friendship. 449 00:27:02,076 --> 00:27:03,876 Speaker 1: You know, it starts out kind of rocky. I mean 450 00:27:03,876 --> 00:27:06,676 Speaker 1: you you cite this moment in the Senate when Barack 451 00:27:06,676 --> 00:27:09,436 Speaker 1: Obama is listening to Joe Biden like go on and on, 452 00:27:09,476 --> 00:27:12,036 Speaker 1: and he's he's talking about how bored he is. And 453 00:27:12,116 --> 00:27:15,756 Speaker 1: when Biden drops out of the president election in two 454 00:27:15,796 --> 00:27:18,396 Speaker 1: thousand and eight, he has one of these lines which 455 00:27:18,476 --> 00:27:21,676 Speaker 1: is like, exactly what you fear, like your white friend 456 00:27:21,796 --> 00:27:24,076 Speaker 1: or you're just waiting for them to say something offensive. 457 00:27:24,476 --> 00:27:30,516 Speaker 1: First short of main stream African American who is articulate 458 00:27:30,556 --> 00:27:36,116 Speaker 1: and bright and clean and my looking guy, man, Joe, 459 00:27:36,556 --> 00:27:39,996 Speaker 1: I mean you said the first sort of mainstream African 460 00:27:40,036 --> 00:27:45,796 Speaker 1: American who is articulate and bright and damn clean. Come on, man, 461 00:27:47,476 --> 00:27:50,516 Speaker 1: I actually love it. I'm gonna tell you why. Well, 462 00:27:50,516 --> 00:27:54,436 Speaker 1: this is you know, he's bright and clean, uh and 463 00:27:54,676 --> 00:28:01,516 Speaker 1: new uh inarticulate, inarticulate. It's the clean that is like 464 00:28:03,476 --> 00:28:10,876 Speaker 1: he's really I know, I know he's not as using 465 00:28:10,916 --> 00:28:14,396 Speaker 1: the butters and he's got all the butters. You know, 466 00:28:14,436 --> 00:28:20,116 Speaker 1: he's looking clean. Biden's language there, I'm not surprised by. 467 00:28:20,276 --> 00:28:24,156 Speaker 1: I'm not necessarily even hurt by. I understand where it 468 00:28:24,196 --> 00:28:26,116 Speaker 1: comes from. And I look at Biden's life in the 469 00:28:26,196 --> 00:28:28,596 Speaker 1: arc of his political life and personality and who he 470 00:28:28,716 --> 00:28:31,116 Speaker 1: is in the world, who he's been, And I'm also 471 00:28:31,236 --> 00:28:34,276 Speaker 1: not struck in a way by it, because I think 472 00:28:34,316 --> 00:28:37,196 Speaker 1: Biden it just comes from who he is as a 473 00:28:37,316 --> 00:28:39,396 Speaker 1: what is he close to eighty year old white man 474 00:28:39,556 --> 00:28:43,236 Speaker 1: now in life? And I'm you know, I'm not excusing it. 475 00:28:43,276 --> 00:28:47,076 Speaker 1: I'm saying I understand it, and I'm not informed by 476 00:28:47,116 --> 00:28:49,276 Speaker 1: it in the same way I would be. But then 477 00:28:49,356 --> 00:28:53,476 Speaker 1: I hear um other political leaders speak, you know, who 478 00:28:53,476 --> 00:28:55,956 Speaker 1: are younger, who are you know whose heart is not 479 00:28:55,996 --> 00:28:57,836 Speaker 1: in the right place. You're also deemed pointing to like 480 00:28:58,396 --> 00:29:00,996 Speaker 1: the dynamic and a lot of these friendships. And I'm 481 00:29:01,036 --> 00:29:04,076 Speaker 1: speaking from the white side here, but you know, you're 482 00:29:04,076 --> 00:29:07,596 Speaker 1: we're friends up to an extent, and you're you're imagining, 483 00:29:07,636 --> 00:29:10,276 Speaker 1: you're like, oh, he's gonna say something fucked up or 484 00:29:10,316 --> 00:29:11,996 Speaker 1: you know, you know, that's just who he is. But 485 00:29:12,116 --> 00:29:14,196 Speaker 1: apart from that, he's cool. And so what you just 486 00:29:14,196 --> 00:29:16,556 Speaker 1: said about Biden, of like, I know where he comes from, 487 00:29:16,596 --> 00:29:18,996 Speaker 1: I know all that stuff. It is exactly the kind 488 00:29:19,036 --> 00:29:22,836 Speaker 1: of limits on full friendship that we often fear in 489 00:29:22,516 --> 00:29:26,196 Speaker 1: these in these dynamics. Yes, I mean, damn, it can't 490 00:29:26,196 --> 00:29:28,676 Speaker 1: just be mister Rogers and John Brown as the only 491 00:29:28,676 --> 00:29:31,716 Speaker 1: white people in American political history. It'd be a narrow 492 00:29:31,756 --> 00:29:34,916 Speaker 1: list of folks you could really get with if if 493 00:29:34,956 --> 00:29:37,996 Speaker 1: you set the bar where it really should be. Frankly, 494 00:29:38,556 --> 00:29:43,156 Speaker 1: you know, I take into account the difficulty factor of 495 00:29:43,196 --> 00:29:45,756 Speaker 1: being a white person living in a white supremacist society, 496 00:29:45,756 --> 00:29:48,356 Speaker 1: who's told you all these wonderful things about you, etc. 497 00:29:49,036 --> 00:29:52,076 Speaker 1: I have a degree of difficulty measure that I'm applying 498 00:29:52,116 --> 00:29:54,396 Speaker 1: to who you are as a human being. In the 499 00:29:54,436 --> 00:29:57,756 Speaker 1: same way that I think black folks deserve credit for 500 00:29:57,876 --> 00:30:00,836 Speaker 1: surviving and thriving. You're greating us on a curve what 501 00:30:00,876 --> 00:30:04,156 Speaker 1: you're saying a little bit, A little bit relatives and 502 00:30:04,236 --> 00:30:07,796 Speaker 1: all kind of folk included, Yes, a little bit. Sure. Well. 503 00:30:07,796 --> 00:30:10,276 Speaker 1: That's the thing that I think is interesting about your 504 00:30:10,276 --> 00:30:15,556 Speaker 1: discussion of Barack and Joe, because you use the term 505 00:30:15,836 --> 00:30:20,236 Speaker 1: in this chapter about performance art, and you talk about 506 00:30:20,276 --> 00:30:22,996 Speaker 1: how much it mattered. I mean, there's this famous scene 507 00:30:23,076 --> 00:30:28,436 Speaker 1: of President Obama and Vice President Biden walking or jogging 508 00:30:28,596 --> 00:30:30,996 Speaker 1: at the White House with both of their jackets off, 509 00:30:31,036 --> 00:30:34,356 Speaker 1: and you know, they're both looking vigorous and strong, and 510 00:30:34,436 --> 00:30:41,556 Speaker 1: yet submerged underneath this genuine working relationship that you know, 511 00:30:41,676 --> 00:30:46,156 Speaker 1: by all accounts over eight years was productive. Is this 512 00:30:46,636 --> 00:30:51,036 Speaker 1: kind of tortured underbelly of like Joe Biden's own history 513 00:30:51,116 --> 00:30:56,356 Speaker 1: from anti bussing to the crime Bill to his role 514 00:30:56,436 --> 00:30:58,916 Speaker 1: in Anita Hill. And I'm not here to relitigate so 515 00:30:59,036 --> 00:31:03,076 Speaker 1: much as to say, there's that tension between what you 516 00:31:03,236 --> 00:31:07,236 Speaker 1: so aptly described as this shared history of loss between 517 00:31:07,276 --> 00:31:09,836 Speaker 1: the two of them and this genuine relation relationship. And 518 00:31:09,916 --> 00:31:12,396 Speaker 1: yet at what costs because it seems like all that 519 00:31:12,436 --> 00:31:18,636 Speaker 1: other stuff wasn't actually part of their legislative agenda. Right, No, 520 00:31:18,916 --> 00:31:23,036 Speaker 1: And look, Barack Obama himself, with all of his blackness, 521 00:31:24,156 --> 00:31:27,636 Speaker 1: is still you know, again to a certain percentage of 522 00:31:27,996 --> 00:31:32,116 Speaker 1: black political followers, thinkers, you know, problematic in his own 523 00:31:32,156 --> 00:31:33,996 Speaker 1: way from the standpoint of what he was able to 524 00:31:34,156 --> 00:31:37,516 Speaker 1: or not able to accomplish in his presidency visa v 525 00:31:37,996 --> 00:31:42,516 Speaker 1: You know, black folks, teaching our sons to treat women 526 00:31:42,596 --> 00:31:47,436 Speaker 1: with respect and to realize responsibility does not end at 527 00:31:47,476 --> 00:31:52,316 Speaker 1: conception that what makes them a man does not the 528 00:31:52,316 --> 00:31:55,236 Speaker 1: ability to have a child, but to raise one. You know, 529 00:31:55,316 --> 00:31:57,596 Speaker 1: every day in this in the United States, there are 530 00:31:58,036 --> 00:31:59,716 Speaker 1: you know, there's a certain percentage black folks who go 531 00:31:59,716 --> 00:32:02,916 Speaker 1: to the office every day. Maybe they're supervised, they supervised, 532 00:32:03,036 --> 00:32:06,356 Speaker 1: you know, white workers who who have to take orders 533 00:32:06,356 --> 00:32:08,636 Speaker 1: from them, and they you know, and that's its own 534 00:32:08,716 --> 00:32:11,836 Speaker 1: kind of head all at times for them. And here 535 00:32:12,516 --> 00:32:16,596 Speaker 1: was Joe Biden, who didn't say boo, you know, to 536 00:32:17,236 --> 00:32:21,396 Speaker 1: do anything really to hurt Obama. He never stabbed Obama 537 00:32:21,396 --> 00:32:23,596 Speaker 1: in the back. He was loyal as the day as long, 538 00:32:23,676 --> 00:32:27,076 Speaker 1: loyal as a dog, you know, And and black folk 539 00:32:27,196 --> 00:32:30,236 Speaker 1: looked at that, particularly the older you were and are 540 00:32:30,316 --> 00:32:33,836 Speaker 1: as an African American in this country, that relationship resonated 541 00:32:33,836 --> 00:32:36,556 Speaker 1: with you big time because you remember what it was 542 00:32:36,636 --> 00:32:39,196 Speaker 1: like to go into a workplace and be the only 543 00:32:39,236 --> 00:32:42,316 Speaker 1: one and then have and maybe be the first of 544 00:32:42,356 --> 00:32:46,676 Speaker 1: your generation to have leadership roles where where whites were, 545 00:32:46,716 --> 00:32:51,076 Speaker 1: you know, um, your subordinates. And to see Biden, you know, 546 00:32:51,716 --> 00:32:55,556 Speaker 1: act gracefully towards Obama and never throw him under the bus. 547 00:32:55,956 --> 00:32:58,636 Speaker 1: So I think those things matter to black folk. Hey, 548 00:32:58,676 --> 00:33:02,196 Speaker 1: before we go, so Khalil and I are an interracial friendship. 549 00:33:02,636 --> 00:33:04,596 Speaker 1: Do you have any questions for us? You know, as 550 00:33:04,636 --> 00:33:07,756 Speaker 1: far as a question for you guys, I think, um, 551 00:33:08,196 --> 00:33:11,436 Speaker 1: when one is maybe a about your own relationship and 552 00:33:11,876 --> 00:33:15,956 Speaker 1: having begun this podcast, has it changed the way you've 553 00:33:15,956 --> 00:33:19,436 Speaker 1: thought about it? Or is it do you even want 554 00:33:19,436 --> 00:33:22,036 Speaker 1: to be involved in like a kind of or see 555 00:33:22,076 --> 00:33:24,156 Speaker 1: yourself involved in a political project or is that kind 556 00:33:24,156 --> 00:33:28,276 Speaker 1: of cheapen what you have? Or is this podcast sort 557 00:33:28,276 --> 00:33:32,756 Speaker 1: of intentionally, you know, part of an idea of you know, 558 00:33:33,276 --> 00:33:35,676 Speaker 1: moving the country forward. Yeah, I mean we started out 559 00:33:35,756 --> 00:33:39,316 Speaker 1: this conversation by saying, you know, the our show is 560 00:33:39,356 --> 00:33:41,756 Speaker 1: almost premised on this idea that here we are a 561 00:33:41,756 --> 00:33:43,676 Speaker 1: black guy and a white guy. That's not going to 562 00:33:43,716 --> 00:33:45,636 Speaker 1: get us to the promised Land. And did you get 563 00:33:45,716 --> 00:33:48,116 Speaker 1: us a podcast? And and and as you write, as 564 00:33:48,156 --> 00:33:51,276 Speaker 1: you write like those are steps that are important. It 565 00:33:51,396 --> 00:33:54,636 Speaker 1: is not the thing. But you know, we believe in 566 00:33:54,676 --> 00:33:57,996 Speaker 1: the ideal of a multiracial democracy. How could you not like, 567 00:33:58,036 --> 00:34:00,276 Speaker 1: how could you not feel like that's something where we 568 00:34:00,396 --> 00:34:03,356 Speaker 1: have to try to strive for in some way? And 569 00:34:03,876 --> 00:34:07,076 Speaker 1: you know, so so these kinds of conversations, these kinds 570 00:34:07,076 --> 00:34:11,516 Speaker 1: of connections are not the fruition, but it's certainly, like, 571 00:34:12,596 --> 00:34:15,556 Speaker 1: you know, a small way to start moving forward, to 572 00:34:15,276 --> 00:34:18,676 Speaker 1: have to at least have dialogue absolutely, Dean. You know, 573 00:34:18,716 --> 00:34:22,956 Speaker 1: we wanted this podcast to be a post Trump conversation 574 00:34:23,636 --> 00:34:27,356 Speaker 1: about how did we get there and this notion of 575 00:34:27,396 --> 00:34:31,156 Speaker 1: individualism and proximity to one another, And we came of 576 00:34:31,196 --> 00:34:33,796 Speaker 1: age as MTV babies, and we grew up in an 577 00:34:33,836 --> 00:34:38,996 Speaker 1: integrated community, largely middle class. I will add, but with 578 00:34:39,036 --> 00:34:42,996 Speaker 1: all those markings of the possibility of a change country, 579 00:34:43,476 --> 00:34:46,916 Speaker 1: the country in some ways, by so many measures, is 580 00:34:46,956 --> 00:34:49,436 Speaker 1: as worse as it was before the Civil Rights era, 581 00:34:50,156 --> 00:34:53,396 Speaker 1: and in other instances, when we talk about mass incarceration, 582 00:34:53,716 --> 00:34:55,956 Speaker 1: it's worse than it was in a Civil rights era. 583 00:34:56,436 --> 00:34:59,716 Speaker 1: So clearly we wanted to be able to talk about 584 00:34:59,716 --> 00:35:01,836 Speaker 1: our coming of age story and to talk about this 585 00:35:01,916 --> 00:35:05,276 Speaker 1: relationship as a window onto all the things we were 586 00:35:05,316 --> 00:35:09,076 Speaker 1: deliberately not taught in school, that we were not encouraged 587 00:35:09,236 --> 00:35:12,236 Speaker 1: to think about, and to ultimately reflect on that in 588 00:35:12,316 --> 00:35:15,076 Speaker 1: a productive way at this moment to say, we got 589 00:35:15,076 --> 00:35:17,556 Speaker 1: a lot of work to do to understand the actual 590 00:35:17,596 --> 00:35:20,356 Speaker 1: history and the present of this crazy country we live in. 591 00:35:20,876 --> 00:35:22,956 Speaker 1: And in that sense, I think your book is, you know, 592 00:35:23,156 --> 00:35:25,876 Speaker 1: is an invitation to that history. You Actually, that's what 593 00:35:25,916 --> 00:35:27,916 Speaker 1: I love about the book, that it's more than just 594 00:35:28,276 --> 00:35:32,476 Speaker 1: this meditation on the politics of friendship. It's actually set 595 00:35:32,556 --> 00:35:36,876 Speaker 1: a way of saying, at these particular crossroads, these relationships 596 00:35:37,236 --> 00:35:41,716 Speaker 1: were fraught, and yet they were symbolically meaningful, and there 597 00:35:41,716 --> 00:35:44,876 Speaker 1: were opportunities to take that symbolism and make its substantive 598 00:35:44,916 --> 00:35:47,836 Speaker 1: going forward. Well, we are so grateful to have had 599 00:35:47,876 --> 00:35:51,076 Speaker 1: you on this show. We certainly count you as one 600 00:35:51,116 --> 00:35:54,196 Speaker 1: of our best friends. Thank you so much, Dean for 601 00:35:54,236 --> 00:35:57,276 Speaker 1: being your conversation with us. Appreciate you. Thank you so 602 00:35:57,356 --> 00:35:59,996 Speaker 1: much for having me. Really truly has been been a pleasure. 603 00:36:00,036 --> 00:36:11,196 Speaker 1: Thank you. Yeah, thank you, Dean. Well, that was a 604 00:36:11,236 --> 00:36:15,036 Speaker 1: great conversation. It was, I mean, I definitely learned a lot. 605 00:36:15,156 --> 00:36:18,716 Speaker 1: I was surprised at how convincing Solidine was in a 606 00:36:18,756 --> 00:36:20,956 Speaker 1: lot of ways. So yeah, So I have a question 607 00:36:20,996 --> 00:36:23,876 Speaker 1: for you. Who are you in the book? Who do 608 00:36:23,916 --> 00:36:29,516 Speaker 1: you identify with? Definitely Frederick Douglas. I mean, come on, 609 00:36:30,356 --> 00:36:41,036 Speaker 1: you know, handsome, articulate, clean, boom boot certain certainly like 610 00:36:41,436 --> 00:36:43,956 Speaker 1: the commitment Douglas head to speak in truth to power. 611 00:36:44,076 --> 00:36:47,076 Speaker 1: So that's that's who I most identify with. And all right, 612 00:36:47,116 --> 00:36:48,996 Speaker 1: you asked me, so I'm asking you. How about you? 613 00:36:49,036 --> 00:36:53,476 Speaker 1: Marilyn Monroe? Uh oh, really using my sexuality for good. 614 00:36:56,436 --> 00:36:59,796 Speaker 1: Oh boy, we're in trouble. No wonder that didn't didn't 615 00:36:59,916 --> 00:37:04,036 Speaker 1: end sistific races in America. All right, man, all right, 616 00:37:04,116 --> 00:37:06,436 Speaker 1: I love you, all right, I love you too, man. 617 00:37:13,436 --> 00:37:15,796 Speaker 1: Some of My Best Friends Are is a production of 618 00:37:15,876 --> 00:37:19,196 Speaker 1: Pushkin Industries. The show is written and hosted by me 619 00:37:19,436 --> 00:37:23,116 Speaker 1: Khalil Jibrad Muhammed and my best friend Ben Austin. It's 620 00:37:23,156 --> 00:37:27,276 Speaker 1: produced by John Assanti and Lucy Sullivan. Our editor is 621 00:37:27,356 --> 00:37:31,156 Speaker 1: Jasmine Morris, our engineer is Amanda ka Wang, and our 622 00:37:31,196 --> 00:37:35,716 Speaker 1: executive producer is Mio Lobell. At Pushkin thanks to Leta Mullad, 623 00:37:36,156 --> 00:37:41,596 Speaker 1: Julia Barton, Heather Faine, Carly Migliori, John Schnars, Gretta Khne, 624 00:37:41,916 --> 00:37:46,316 Speaker 1: and Jacob Weisberg. Our theme song, Little Lily, is by 625 00:37:46,356 --> 00:37:50,756 Speaker 1: fellow chicagoan the brilliant Avery R. Young, from his album Tubman. 626 00:37:51,196 --> 00:37:53,116 Speaker 1: You definitely want to check out his music at his 627 00:37:53,156 --> 00:37:56,756 Speaker 1: website Avery R. Young dot com. You can find Pushkin 628 00:37:56,836 --> 00:38:00,396 Speaker 1: on all social platforms at Pushkin pods, and you can 629 00:38:00,436 --> 00:38:03,516 Speaker 1: sign up for our newsletter at pushkin dot fm. To 630 00:38:03,596 --> 00:38:08,036 Speaker 1: find more Pushkin podcasts, listen on the iHeartRadio app Apple 631 00:38:08,076 --> 00:38:15,916 Speaker 1: podcasts wherever you like to listen. Hell, you know nobody 632 00:38:16,916 --> 00:38:24,956 Speaker 1: you like You know nobody. I'm gonta know you would 633 00:38:24,996 --> 00:38:25,436 Speaker 1: like Al