John McWhorter is a professor of linguistics at Columbia University, the author of many books, a witty and passionately independent voice on the subject of American race relations. 

Hear him join John Wood, Jr. of Braver Angels to compare perspectives on the traditional narratives that shape our racial conversation, the post Civil Rights era Black experience, and the ways in which the varieties of experiences in the Black community impact the dialogue on race in the United States. 

(The book on the history of the Crack cocaine epidemic referenced in this conversation is called "Crack: Rock Cocaine, Street Capitalism, and the Decade of Greed" by David Farber)

Twitter: @braverangels, @JohnRWoodJr