Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast The True Cost of Violence on Black Life in America with Trymaine Lee
Sep 30, 2025
Trymaine Lee, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and MSNBC contributor, reflects on his near-death experience and its connection to his new book. He discusses the historical and contemporary impact of violence on Black life in America, linking intergenerational trauma to health disparities. Lee delves into the systemic roots of urban violence, the symbolic role of guns, and the emotional toll of repeated loss in his family. He urges a shift in perspective toward understanding Black dignity beyond violence and the vital need for local solutions.
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Heart Attack Revealed Buried Trauma
- Trymaine Lee describes his 2017 heart attack at age 38 and how it forced him to reassess the violence he carried as a Black journalist.
- The near-death made him connect bodily illness with generational trauma and expand his book's scope.
A Family Line Marked By Early Killings
- Lee traces family violence back to 1922 when his 12-year-old great-uncle Cornelius was shot in a sundown town in Georgia.
- He uses family records and migration to show intergenerational losses and silence around those killings.
Grandfather Murdered Over $160
- Lee recounts his grandfather's 1976 murder over a $160 deposit dispute at his door in Camden.
- He describes family grief, the public funeral, and how the murder left a lasting emotional void.