A Word: Black Grief, White Grievance

Slate Books

Slate Podcasts

Arts

3.8 • 546 Ratings

🗓️ 6 October 2023

⏱️ 24 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Many of the gains of the Civil Rights movement were built by African Americans who turned grief—often over the violent deaths of loved ones—into activism. At the same time, grief over anticipated or theoretical losses within the white community is frequently harnessed into political power. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by political science professor Juliet Hooker, author of Black Grief/White Grievance, about why anger and even violence has often been framed as a justified response to white losses of power and influence, but inappropriate among Black people, even when there’s loss of life. Guest: Juliet Hooker, Professor of Political Science at Brown University Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for $15 for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is a Word, a podcast from Slate.
0:05.5	I'm your host, Jason Johnson.
0:07.3	The whole idea of democracy is you win by persuading people with the strength of your arguments.
0:13.7	And the losers accept the outcome without violence.
0:17.3	But as the January 6th insurrection shows, race plays a huge factor.
0:22.1	And who has to win or lose gracefully, whether the stakes are political or life and death.
0:27.8	Why? And what can be done to change that?
0:33.5	Black grief, white grievance coming up on a word with me, Jason Johnson.
0:39.3	Stay with us.
0:44.0	Welcome to a Word, a podcast about race and politics and everything else.
0:52.7	I'm your host, Jason Johnson.
0:54.1	One of the most disturbing moments in recent racial history here in the United States is Word, a podcast about race and politics, and everything else. I'm your host, Jason Johnson.
0:59.0	One of the most disturbing moments in recent racial history here in the United States came in August of 2017. This was the Unite the Right rally where hundreds of white supremacists marched through
1:04.5	Charlestville, Virginia, chanting racist slogans and attacking counter-protesters. Dozens were injured,
1:10.3	and anti-racist protester, Heather Hire, was killed.
1:13.7	In the wake of that violence, then President Donald Trump made his infamous remarks about
1:17.4	being very fine people on both sides.
1:20.3	Our guest today argues that both movements do draw from the same emotional place, grief,
1:25.9	the idea that some essential thing is being taken.
1:29.1	For black folks, it's the loss of freedom, dignity, and the often violent loss of our lives.
1:34.7	For white Americans, it's the loss of their undisputed place at the top of the political and
1:39.5	socioeconomic hierarchy. And the real fight is over who has a right to resist losses and who is
	...

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