Professor Ilyasa Shabazz, Dr. Brian Williams: What Racism Means to Me

Nationwide protests against racism, police violence, and racial inequality have shaken the nation to its core. Support for Black Lives Matter and anger over police treatment of African-Americans grew dramatically in recent weeks.

Outrage over the disturbingly graphic deaths of George Floyd and other black men and women have changed the debate over racism. In this podcast, we look for potential areas of common ground, and consider the prospects for lasting change.

Our guests are Ilyasah Shabazz, and Brian Williams, MD. Professor Shabazz often speaks about the remarkable legacy of her father, Malcolm X. She promotes higher education for at-risk youth and interfaith dialogue to build bridges between cultures for young leaders of the world. Doctor Williams led the trauma team that treated police officers ambushed by a sniper in Dallas in 2016 - the largest loss of life for US law enforcement since 9/11.

"Education and discussion is a start, but not enough," Dr. Williams tells us. "A lot of us have been educating and talking and waiting for a long long time. Now is the time for action."

If we're taught hate we're never going to solve any problems. It looks like that's what the young people are saying and it's great, says Professor Shabazz. "We need our young people to have their voices, to speak up and help us make change."

In this podcast, we discuss the findings of two studies related to racism: Research on children's perceptions of black and white dolls, and the 40-year U.S. Public Health Service study of syphilis in Macon County, Alabama.