There are striking similarities between how the conversation has evolved in America and Britain. We've seen a universalist left from a left that could really claim to live by Martin Luther King's universalist message, if we are all brothers. I think one of the problems we have is that because of the economic, social, cultural and heft of America, what happens in America tends to shape what happens elsewhere.
Does the conversation on race need a reset? That is the question that Coleman Hughes and Kenan Malik explored when they came to Intelligence Squared in January 2022. Hughes is an acclaimed American writer and host of the award-winning podcast Conversations with Coleman. In 2019 at the age of 23 he testified before Congress against reparations for slavery and has roundly criticised the work of other Black writers on race such as Ibram X. Kendi and Robin DiAngelo. In his view, their brand of anti-racism encourages a sense of victimhood among Black Americans and sows division between different racial groups. Malik is a British author and broadcaster, whose new book Not So Black and White explores the history of the idea of race and invites us to challenge many of the assumptions behind today’s culture wars.
If you would like to support Coleman Hughes and his work, you can do so at colemanhughes.org.
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