Russia's long played with U.S. racial politics. Brittney Griner is the latest example

It's Been a Minute

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🗓️ 12 August 2022

⏱️ 35 minutes

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Summary

What does Brittney Griner's hypervisibility as a tall, queer, Black woman have to do with her 9-year sentence in a Russian prison? A lot, according to historian Kimberly St. Julian-Varnon, who studies race and Blackness in Russia. She chats with guest host Tracie Hunte about what Griner's detainment means for Black queer folks who travel and the antagonism surrounding the case.

Then, Tracie talks about the big moment Nigerian pop culture is having in the U.S. She is joined by Nigerian American filmmaker and artist Amarachi Nwosu to discuss why this is happening now and how Nigeria's success might impact pop culture from other African nations.

Plus, we play Who Said That! Tracie connects with NPR's B. A. Parker and Juana Summers to test their pop culture knowledge.

You can follow us on Twitter @npritsbeenamin and email us at [email protected].

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, your listening suit has been a minute from NPR.
0:03.4	I'm Leona, Tracy's oldest friend, and on today's show,
0:07.4	her Russia is using Britney Griner to manipulate America's racial division.
0:11.3	Plus, when Nigerian pop culture is everywhere.
0:14.6	Alright, here's the show.
0:16.6	Hey y'all, you're listening to its been a minute from NPR.
0:22.6	I'm your guest host, Tracy Hunt.
0:25.0	Last week, WNBA star Britney Griner was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison.
0:31.0	Griner was arrested one week before Russia invaded Ukraine.
0:35.0	Britney Griner is detained in Russia.
0:37.0	Britney Griner was arrested in Russia.
0:40.0	WNBA star Britney Griner, he's being detained in Moscow,
0:43.0	with tensions ratched up between Russia and the US over the invasion of Ukraine.
0:47.0	Russian authorities said she had cannabis oil in a vape pen.
0:50.0	As soon as I saw the video of her at the airport,
0:53.0	I said, oh no, that's Kimberly St. Jillian Vernon,
0:57.0	a doctor or a student who focuses on the black experience in Russia.
1:01.0	As soon as I saw him, she's going to my mind,
1:04.0	I said she's going to prison because of the timing.
1:07.0	To me, the timing is what let me know as a person who works on this region
1:13.0	that it was going to be an uphill fight
1:16.0	and that she was going to be used as much as she could for Russian leverage.
	...

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