The Gray Area with Sean Illing

How whiteness distorts our democracy, with Eddie Glaude Jr.

Apr 4, 2019

Eddie Glaude Jr., Chair of African American Studies at Princeton and author of "Democracy in Black," dives deep into how whiteness shapes America's political landscape. He discusses the complexities of race as a social construct and its ramifications on societal hierarchies. Glaude emphasizes the need for authentic conversations around systemic inequality and reparations. He critiques illusions of progress during the Obama presidency, calling for transformative change to create a truly inclusive democracy.

01:31:42

Episode guests

Eddie Glaude Jr.

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Intro

4min

Exploring Race and Identity Politics

25min

Contradictions in Media Narratives and Hypocrisy in Public Discourse

2min

Evolving Perspectives on Reparations and Systemic Inequality

2min

Navigating Racial Dynamics in American Politics

25min

Exploring Justice and Community Values in Society

3min

The Evolution of Black Political Life

28min

Actions Reflect Beliefs: A Lens on Politics and Life

2min

“Race isn’t about black people, necessarily,” says Eddie Glaude Jr. “It’s about the way whiteness works to disfigure and distort our democracy, and the ideals that animate our democracy.”

Glaude is the chair of Princeton University’s department of African American studies, the president of the American Academy of Religion, and the author of the powerful book Democracy in Black. And this is a conversation about some of the hardest issues in American life: the way racism is intertwined with America’s political system, the worldviews we force ourselves to adopt to justify racial inequality, and the way white fear sets boundaries on black politics.

These aren’t easy topics to discuss, but they’re necessary ones. As Glaude says, “We have to have a politics that can interrogate it honestly, and do it in such a way that is mature, that opens up space for us to imagine ourselves otherwise.”

Book recommendations:

The Quest for Certainty: A Study of the Relation of Knowledge and Action by John Dewey

James Baldwin: Collected Essays by James Baldwin

No name in the street by James Baldwin

More Beautiful and More Terrible by Imani Perry

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