Catharsis, a purification or purgation that brings about spiritual renewal or release from tension.

That is how Miriam Webster defines the word.

It also says the elimination of a complex by bringing it to

consciousness and affording it expression. It's hard to imagine a better word

to describe these past few weeks. After months of fear and mourning amid a

global pandemic, we are now in the streets, trying to eliminate the complex of racism by bringing

it to consciousness. God knows what comes next,

whether all of this purgation, all of this new consciousness will take us to a truly new

place as a society. But personally, I think I'm finally able to see

past all the pain to something more hopeful. One of my old friends, a tough smart woman who's been present for a lot of protest in uprising,

she captured my emotions in a group email recently. She wrote,

it's a horrifying but beautiful, beautiful moment.

So in this episode, we pause to think about release and renewal.

We have two conversations in which people share their own cathartic journeys through this horrifying, beautiful time.

I'm Kywright and this is the United States of Anxiety, a show about the unfinished business of our history and its

grip on our future. You W Hey Verlin.

Hey Kai, how are you?

I'm pretty good.

Our producer Verlin Williams recently had her first sort of big break with social distancing when she went out to a protest in Harlem.

Yes, you know, since the latest slew of black people being killed at the hands of the police, I felt very much compelled

to go out there.

You and millions of other people.

...