My Racist Friend

Amy and Don talk about a neighborhood petition to rename "Dixie Street" in Bloomington, reflecting on both small meaningful actions and empty gestures. Their conversation covers the presence and suggestion of racism in the songs we sing and the media we watch.

NOTE: This is the first episode of the pandemic where these two friends were in the same physical space. As a result, there is a lot of background noise throughout their discussions.

Additional resources:

• "Bloomington, Indiana: Rename Dixie Street" (Change.org, by S. Sherry, August 14, 2020)
  https://www.change.org/p/city-of-bloomington-plan-commission-bloomington-indiana-rename-dixie-street
• "What 'Dixie' Really Means" (Atlantic, by Ben Zimmer, June 26, 2020)
  https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2020/06/what-dixie-really-means/613585/
• "12 Good Ol' Facts About the 'Dukes of Hazzard'" (Mental Floss, by Jake Rossen, January 26, 2019)
  https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/65519/12-good-ol-facts-about-dukes-hazzard
• "What Did the 'Dukes of Hazzard' Really Say About the South" (Time, by James Poniewozik, July 2, 2015)
  https://time.com/3944668/dukes-of-hazzard-tv-land-confederate-flag/
• "The changing profile of the U.S. military: Smaller in size, more diverse, more women in leadership" (Pew Research Center, by Amanda Barroso, September 10, 2019)
  https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/09/10/the-changing-profile-of-the-u-s-military/
• "Even in her uniform, this happened ..." (Facebook post, by Ashley Bryant, August 1, 2020)
  https://www.facebook.com/immelaninaire/posts/3278691135547490
• Onion Laws
  https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/publications/onions/onionlaws.html

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Don and Amy start this week's discussion with a job listing by the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields that sought a director to “attract a broader and diverse audience while still maintaining the Museum’s traditional, core, white art audience.” The conversation also includes antique shops selling symbols of white supremacy in Oregon, students calling out teachers and organizations for racism, and a possibly inevitable revisiting of John Hughes films.

Additional resources:

• "Newfields job posting sparks community controversy" (The Butler Collegian, Emma Quasny, February 17, 2021)
  https://thebutlercollegian.com/2021/02/newfields-job-posting-sparks-community-controversy/
• "Letter from our Board of Trustees and Board of Governors" (Newfields, February 27, 2021)
  https://discovernewfields.org/statement
• "Curator calls Newfields culture toxic, discriminatory in resignation letter" (Indianapolis Star, by Domenica Bongiovanni, July 28, 2020)
  https://www.indystar.com/story/entertainment/arts/2020/07/18/newfields-curator-says-discriminatory-workplace-toxic/5459574002/?fbclid=IwAR2DlqMFjJR-_w4HhZtr8ZwODyjVXnVbmhhvj0vLNGoCeg9MkDgD1RpekwA
• "The Indiana Murals" (Indiana University Bloomington)
  https://murals.sitehost.iu.edu/history/index.html
• "Symbols Of White Supremacy Confront Oregon Shoppers At Antiques Mall" (NPR, by Emily Cureton, February 14, 2021)
  https://www.npr.org/2021/02/14/961532763/symbols-of-white-supremacy-confront-oregon-shoppers-at-antique-mall
• Oregon black exclusion laws (Wikipedia)
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_black_exclusion_laws
• "When Portland banned blacks: Oregon's shameful history of an 'all-white' state" (The Washington Post, by DeNeen L. Brown, June 7, 2017)
  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2017/06/07/when-portland-banned-blacks-oregons-shameful-history-as-an-all-white-state/
• "Black Voices: IU Panhellenic Association member says group's post promoted white saviorism" (Indiana Daily Student, by Agness Lungu, February 11, 2021)
  https://www.idsnews.com/article/2021/02/iu-panhellenic-sororities-white-saviorism-circle-of-sisterhood-instagram
• "Teacher redefines n-word to Black student in AP history class" (NBC, by Dave Elias, February 16, 2021)
  https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2021/02/15/teacher-redefines-n-word-to-black-student-in-ap-history-class/
• "What About 'The Breakfast Club'?" (New Yorker, by Molly Ringwald, April 6, 2018)
  https://www.newyorker.com/culture/personal-history/what-about-the-breakfast-club-molly-ringwald-metoo-john-hughes-pretty-in-pink

Special thanks to BCC interns, Rylie Cook and Constance Johnson, for helping with research for this episode.

Buy "Your Racist Friend" by They Might Be Giants on iTunes

Don confirms his good news about a role change that will have him playing a large role in bridging and resolving issues within the Bloomington community. Amy shares her joy for Don as he takes on a new challenge, as well as apprehensions about increased criticism. Also included are some brief discussion of "Coming to America" and poet Amanda Gorman being followed home.

Additional resources:

• "Deputy Mayor Mick Renneisen Plans Retirement in April" (City of Bloomington, February 17, 2021)
  https://bloomington.in.gov/news/2021/02/17/4767
• "Mayor Hamilton Announces Don Griffin, Jr. to be Next Deputy Mayor" (City of Bloomington, March 4, 2021)
  https://bloomington.in.gov/news/2021/03/04/4785
• People's Cooperative Market
  https://www.peoplesmarketbtown.org/
• "Bloomington police respond to records request, release footage of Seminary Park welfare check on man found dead hours later on Christmas Eve" (B Square Beacon, by Dave Askins, March 2, 2021)
  https://bsquarebeacon.com/2021/03/02/bloomington-police-respond-to-records-request-release-footage-of-seminary-park-welfare-check-on-man-found-dead-hours-later-on-christmas-eve/
• "Eddie Murphy And Arsenio Hall Say That 'Coming To America' Was Forced To Include A White Person" (Shadow and Act, by Niko Rose, March 4, 2021)
  https://shadowandact.com/eddie-murphy-and-arsenio-hall-say-that-coming-to-america-was-forced-to-include-a-white-person
• "Amanda Gorman Says A Security Guard Followed Her Home Because She 'Looked Suspicious'" (Blavity, by Leslie D. Rose, March 6, 2021)
  https://blavity.com/amanda-gorman-says-a-security-guard-followed-her-home-because-she-looked-suspicious

Special thanks to BCC interns, Rylie Cook and Constance Johnson, for helping with research for this episode.

Buy "Your Racist Friend" by They Might Be Giants on iTunes

In this week's conversation, Don wrestles with what to do with the anger aggregating with each news alert, racist Facebook post, and recalled memory. In processing how that anger has changed over time, Amy talks about our inclination to diminish or dismiss harm done by people we like.

Warning: The cursing was not edited out for this episode, and (spoiler) they don't really talk about the Farmer's Market.

Additional resources:

• "The 'Arab Spring': Five Years On" (Amnesty International)
  https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2016/01/arab-spring-five-years-on/
• "Philando Castile's Daughter Said To Girlfriend After He Died: I Don't Want You To Get Shooted | TIME" (YouTube, by TIME, June 22, 2017)
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlTv3jEhpXM
• "While celebrities partner with NAACP to 'take responsibility' for racism" (The Detroit News, by Christi Carras, June 12, 2020)
  https://www.detroitnews.com/story/life/2020/06/12/white-celebrities-partner-naacp-take-responsibility-racism/3174582001/
• "How accurate is 'Mrs. America's' portrayal of Shirley Chisholm? We looked into it." (Los Angeles Times, by Meredith Blake, April 24, 2020)
  https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2020-04-24/mrs-america-shirley-chisholm-abortion-convention
• "A black activist who trained police officers on implicit bias was injured with rubber bullet during protest" (CNN, by Madeline Holcombe and Sarah Moon, June 9, 2020)
  https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/09/us/san-jose-police-training-activist-rubber-bullets-trnd/index.html
• “Sir, Can We Talk About Your Knee on My Neck?” (By Maureen Walker, June 15, 2020)
  https://maureenwalker.com/sir-can-we-talk-about-your-knee-on-my-neck/

Buy "Your Racist Friend" by They Might Be Giants on iTunes

As Election Day approaches, Amy and Don talk about efforts to put social workers in the local police department, and the problems inherent in that approach. Don shares the second half of a story he started in a previous episode about being harassed by local law enforcement. Plus, a little more Lovecraft Country and a plug to watch Schitt's Creek.

If you missed the first half of Don's story, listen to Episode 2.23 ("Love Louder").

By the time the next episode comes out, the country will have finished casting their votes to shape the course of the nation for the next four years. #Vote, if you haven't already. Be respectful, and be safe.

Additional resources:

• "How Zello Became A Recruitment & Organizing Tool For The Far Right" (WNYC Studios, On the Media, October 16, 2020)
  https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm/segments/how-zello-became-recruitment-organizing-app-far-right
• "A friend in NE Iowa works as a child care provider ..." (Twitter, by Sarah Ziegenhorn, October 13, 2020)
  https://twitter.com/sarah_ziggy/status/1316045446553321472
• "Activists want to defund police departments. What could that look like in Bloomington?" (Indiana Daily Student, by Vivek Rao and Kaitlyn Radde, October 8, 2020)
  https://www.idsnews.com/article/2020/10/activists-want-to-defund-police-departments-what-could-that-look-like-in-bloomington-black-lives-matter
• "Letter to Council Members" (Defund12)
  https://defund12.org/bloomington
• "Bloomington To Create Two New Racial Equality Task Forces" (Indiana Public Media, by Ethan Burks, October 21, 2020)
  https://indianapublicmedia.org/news/bloomington-creates-two-new-racial-equality-task-forces.php
• "City Proposes A New Commission On Public Safety" (Indiana Public Media, by Ethan Burks, October 29, 2020)
  https://indianapublicmedia.org/news/city-proposes-a-new-commission-on-public-safety.php
• "Episode 2.23: Love Louder" (My Racist Friend, September 13, 2020)
  https://www.podbean.com/eu/pb-eg3hd-eb5edb
• "Why the hope and optimism of Schitt's Creek matters" (Medium, aristhought, December 30, 2019)
  https://medium.com/@aristhought/why-the-hope-and-optimism-of-schitts-creek-matters-18fbbe3acae4
• "5-hour Empathy" (SNL, October 17, 2020)
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP0H0j4pCOg

Buy "Your Racist Friend" by They Might Be Giants on iTunes