Best Of: Mixed Marriage Project / How Racism Costs Everyone
Fresh Air
NPR
4.3 • 36.1K Ratings
🗓️ 14 February 2026
⏱️ 49 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Dorothy Roberts’ father was a white anthropologist who studied interracial marriages and her mother was a Black woman from Jamaica. She always assumed her parents' relationship inspired her father’s scholarly focus, but that changed after he died, and she found boxes of interviews he conducted with interracial couples, dating back to the 1930s, decades before he met her mother. Robert's memoir is ‘The Mixed Marriage Project.’
We also hear from historian Heather McGhee. Her book, ‘The Sum of Us,’ examines a question at the heart of American life: Why do so many Americans believe that progress for one group means loss for another?
Also, David Bianculli talks about some TV shows he’s been catching up on.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This message comes from MS Now. On their new podcast, MS Now presents Clockit. Washington Power Players |
| 0:06.9 | Simone Sanders Towns and Eugene Daniels discuss how the latest political news and the catchiest cultural |
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| 0:18.8 | From W.HYY in Philadelphia, this is Fresh Air Weekend. I'm Tanya Mosley. Today we talk with |
| 0:25.6 | scholar Dorothy Roberts. Her father was a white anthropologist who studied interracial marriages, |
| 0:32.4 | and her mother was a black woman from Jamaica. Roberts always assumed her parents' relationship inspired her father's |
| 0:39.4 | scholarly focus. But that changed after he died, and she found boxes of interviews he conducted with |
| 0:45.2 | interracial couples dating back to the 1930s, decades before he met her mother. Now I knew it wasn't |
| 0:52.9 | that his falling in love with my mother and marrying |
| 0:56.0 | her motivated him to do this research. It might have been the opposite. We also hear from |
| 1:03.2 | historian Heather McGee, her book The Sum of Us, examines a question at the heart of American life. |
| 1:10.1 | Why do so many Americans believe that progress for one group means loss for another? |
| 1:16.7 | And David B. and Cooley talks about some TV shows he's been catching up on. |
| 1:21.5 | That's coming up on Fresh Air Weekend. |
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| 1:31.1 | W.HYY has launched a Fresh Air Society, a leadership group dedicated to ensuring Fresh |
| 1:36.7 | Air's legacy. |
| 1:37.8 | For over 50 years, this program has brought you fascinating interviews with favorite authors, |
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| 1:44.5 | As a member of the Fresh Air Society, you'll receive special benefits and recognition. |
| 1:48.9 | Learn more at WHYY.org slash Fresh Air Society. |
| 1:54.3 | On Planet Money, we have covered a lot of topics. |
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