S1 E.10 Dr. Piper Kendrix Williams on Racial Progress in America
In this EpisodeIn this episode, we welcome on Dr. Piper Kendrix Williams, one of Adriana’s old college professors, and a lifelong mentor to her. Dr. Williams is the Chair of African American Studies at TCNJ, a co-editor of Representing Segregation, a co-author of Toni Morrison Book Club, and much more. She has been an incredible resource to Adriana throughout her life, and Adriana even credits her with helping her become the person that she is today. We wanted to invite her onto the podcast, as this episode comes on the heels of extreme racial turmoil and distress throughout the United States, with COVID still raging, the George Floyd murder, and the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement.
In this episode, we dove deep with Dr. Williams about what’s going on in our country, some of the deeper rooted racial disparities, and what we can do to help and change the narrative, even if just in small ways. One of the first topics discussed was about the education system that we live with. All of history involves black people, but we often aren’t taught about it in schools. Perhaps this is where racism, or where microaggressions, or where white fragility begins. Because a K-12 education is not equipped with any form of racial education, our youth is not learning about these important topics, which leads to the racial inequalities that we face in this country. As Dr. Williams puts it, it’s hard - or should we say, impossible - to make decisions and form opinions on race when one is uneducated about it. It’s important to listen to the educated thinkers, writers, speakers, or whoever it may be, to teach us about the things that we did not learn in school. This way, we can be more educated not only for ourselves, but for the things that are going on around us in our world, allowing us to be better supporters and allies.
Another topic discussed in the episode was that of definitions, and the terms surrounding the times that we’re in, how to digest them, and how to understand them. For example, we touched on the topic of white fragility, and what that means. Being white, as most people know, means that there is an associated white privilege. Because of this privilege, white people are therefore insulated in a way from racial-based stress, because they do not have to experience it first-hand. The more that stress becomes non-existent for white people, the harder it becomes for them to talk about race, and therefore any mention of racial inequities or struggles makes them, in a word, fragile. White fragility, then, becomes another core problem of the racial disparities in our country, because it becomes hard for white parents to teach their kids about racial inequalities. Kids continue to not learn about it in school, and therefore the cycle continues. If we’re not educating properly, if we don’t know the true history, how are we supposed to move forward?
We also talked about Dr. Williams’ perspective on white people posting on social media in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, and whether or not she viewed that as a copout. In her opinion, she liked seeing that there were white people willing to take a public stance on the issue, and that it’s important now more than ever to even just acknowledge that you might not understand some things, and that’s okay. If you feel uneducated on certain topics, or if you don’t understand some things that are happening in the world, that’s ok, but don’t ignore the issues. Acknowledge that there is a learning curve, but don’t let that learning curve stop you from standing in solidarity and showing your support of certain issues.
Finally, we talked about some of the misconceptions that are often seen surfacing during this time of turmoil in our country. For example, being anti-racist does not mean that one is anti-white, in the same way that it’s not necessarily about being anti-cop as it is about being against police brutality. People often misconstrue these things for being black or white, good or bad. Just because someone is against police brutality does not mean that he or she is against all cops. Just because someone is anti-racist does not mean that he or she is against white people. Just because someone believes in the Black Lives Matter movement does not mean that he or she believes that other lives don’t matter – it’s more about the notion that all lives can't matter until black lives do matter. There have been so many instances, which Dr. Williams explains further in the episode, that have shown that black lives do not matter in this country. So how can we truly believe that all lives matter when it’s been shown time and time again that they do not?
Dr. Williams was an incredible guest to have on this podcast, and we hope that this episode was as informational to you as it was to us.
Important Times0:48 - Welcome back!
5:17 - An introduction to Dr. Piper Kendrix Williams
8:50 - Welcome Dr. Piper Kendrix Williams!
17:50 - Definitions
35:10 - What’s going on right now in the world
50:15 - A bit on Piper’s experience teaching at TCNJ
52:50 - Reaction to “All Lives Matter” & looking back at black history
1:02:57 - Police brutality
1:12:37 - How do we fix this problem at its core? Where do we start?
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Welcome bestie.
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We’re Adriana and Mariah. Co-hosts, entrepreneurs, BFFs, and girls just like you trying to figure it out as we go.
