1 00:00:14,036 --> 00:00:23,836 Speaker 1: Pushing. I'm Khalil Jabr Muhammad and I'm Ben Austin. We're 2 00:00:23,836 --> 00:00:27,356 Speaker 1: two best friends, one black, one white. I'm a historian 3 00:00:27,596 --> 00:00:30,436 Speaker 1: and I'm a journalist. And now we have a new podcast. 4 00:00:30,796 --> 00:00:34,036 Speaker 1: It's called some of my Best Friends Are Like, I'm 5 00:00:34,076 --> 00:00:37,516 Speaker 1: not a racist. Some of my best friends are dot 6 00:00:37,556 --> 00:00:42,276 Speaker 1: dot dot. And in this show, we're going to wrestle 7 00:00:42,396 --> 00:00:45,796 Speaker 1: with the challenges and absurdities of a deeply divided and 8 00:00:45,956 --> 00:00:50,956 Speaker 1: unequal country because we know, after nearly thirty five years 9 00:00:50,956 --> 00:00:53,796 Speaker 1: of relationship, that being a black guy and a white 10 00:00:53,796 --> 00:00:55,996 Speaker 1: guy hanging out together is not gonna get us to 11 00:00:56,036 --> 00:01:03,196 Speaker 1: the Promised Land. So we grew up on the South 12 00:01:03,236 --> 00:01:07,636 Speaker 1: Side of Chicago together. We've known each other since we 13 00:01:07,636 --> 00:01:11,476 Speaker 1: were thirteen and fourteen, back when we were backing groceries 14 00:01:11,876 --> 00:01:15,356 Speaker 1: and making three twenty five an hour and playing pickup 15 00:01:15,396 --> 00:01:18,796 Speaker 1: games of sixteen in softball. And here we are look 16 00:01:19,116 --> 00:01:21,276 Speaker 1: all grown up. I mean, look at you. Ben. You 17 00:01:21,316 --> 00:01:24,076 Speaker 1: are this incredible writer and journalist. You've written for The 18 00:01:24,076 --> 00:01:28,596 Speaker 1: New York Times, Wired magazine, GQ. You have written about 19 00:01:28,716 --> 00:01:32,156 Speaker 1: housing and one of the most iconic public housing complexes 20 00:01:32,196 --> 00:01:35,076 Speaker 1: in Chicago. You continue to work on criminal justice issues, 21 00:01:35,396 --> 00:01:38,716 Speaker 1: really proud of you, man, and you keep doing your thing. Well, 22 00:01:38,796 --> 00:01:41,716 Speaker 1: let me let me sing your praises. Okay, you've somehow 23 00:01:41,716 --> 00:01:44,996 Speaker 1: made it to Harvard, you know, from from Kenwood to Harvard. 24 00:01:45,516 --> 00:01:47,876 Speaker 1: Now you're teaching there. You're one of pre eminent scholars 25 00:01:47,876 --> 00:01:51,636 Speaker 1: on race and racism and American history. Before Harvard, you 26 00:01:51,716 --> 00:01:54,596 Speaker 1: ran an amazing research library in Harlem called the Shaun 27 00:01:54,636 --> 00:01:58,636 Speaker 1: Berg Center. Yeah, that's just an incredible place. But you 28 00:01:58,636 --> 00:02:02,396 Speaker 1: know what, all of those accomplishments would mean nothing if 29 00:02:02,436 --> 00:02:05,716 Speaker 1: I hadn't been your boss at fourteen. That prepared me 30 00:02:05,796 --> 00:02:09,356 Speaker 1: for the leadership, that's right. And you know, we went 31 00:02:09,356 --> 00:02:12,036 Speaker 1: to a public high school here, a predominantly African American 32 00:02:12,116 --> 00:02:15,036 Speaker 1: high school. You had the gold chain, you were winning 33 00:02:15,036 --> 00:02:17,636 Speaker 1: the Jabbo jeans, and I was killing it. I was 34 00:02:17,716 --> 00:02:22,356 Speaker 1: killing it. I was listening to Phil Collins and Madonna. Yeah, 35 00:02:22,396 --> 00:02:24,836 Speaker 1: and so so like what you're kind of saying on 36 00:02:24,876 --> 00:02:27,556 Speaker 1: the spectrum is that I was cool and you weren't. 37 00:02:27,556 --> 00:02:31,636 Speaker 1: I just want to put that out there. That's really right, 38 00:02:31,676 --> 00:02:36,436 Speaker 1: It's definitely true. So we're basically going to talk about 39 00:02:36,476 --> 00:02:39,956 Speaker 1: the things we've been talking about for like thirty five years. Yeah, 40 00:02:39,996 --> 00:02:43,356 Speaker 1: like the serious stuff because because after all. I mean, 41 00:02:43,556 --> 00:02:46,316 Speaker 1: we've made careers as people who try to make sense 42 00:02:46,316 --> 00:02:48,956 Speaker 1: of the world we live in, right you. As a journalist, 43 00:02:49,316 --> 00:02:51,436 Speaker 1: I write about the past and try to help people 44 00:02:51,476 --> 00:02:54,876 Speaker 1: figure out why the past matters to the present. So 45 00:02:55,076 --> 00:02:57,396 Speaker 1: here we are. We're going to talk about these issues 46 00:02:57,476 --> 00:03:01,756 Speaker 1: of politics and history, and we're gonna talk about pop culture. Yep. 47 00:03:02,076 --> 00:03:05,916 Speaker 1: So let's do that. Let's start talking. All right, it's complicated, 48 00:03:06,156 --> 00:03:09,596 Speaker 1: but we're gonna do it together. Listen as some of 49 00:03:09,636 --> 00:03:13,436 Speaker 1: my best friends are. On September ninth, Subscribe on Apple 50 00:03:13,476 --> 00:03:16,156 Speaker 1: Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.