Am I Racist? (2024)
Genre: Mockumentary, Satire, Political Commentary
Director: Justin Folk
Writers: Justin Folk, Brian A. Hoffman, Matt Walsh
Stars: Matt Walsh, Maryna Biletska, Robin DiAngelo
Plot: This mockumentary-style film follows a far-right political commentator as he navigates and critiques contemporary diversity, equity, and inclusion practices. Approaching these topics from a right-wing perspective, the film explores complex social issues, questioning cultural and ideological divides with a satirical lens.
* * *
[WHIMSICAL MUSIC PLAYING]
MAN: One minute.
One minute.
[BELL RINGS]
Hi.
How are you?
MAN: You can go right here.
[UPBEAT COUNTRY ROCK MUSIC PLAYING]
♪ Good things Utah ♪
♪ Where the good things are ♪
♪ Good things Utah ♪
♪ Where the good things are ♪
♪ Good things Utah ♪
Joining us now is Matt. He’s a certified DEI expert.
And, Matt, let’s start with what you do.
What is a certified DEI expert?
Well, that’s someone who takes you on a journey of diversity and inclusion.
And, um, speaking of journeys, you know, And, um, speaking of journeys, you know, it’s all about how you begin the journey.
We covered this in the workshop.
I’d like to start with what’s called a “land acknowledgement.”
I don’t know if you’re familiar with those.
Um, I brought, uh, one along for this broadcast.
Uh, so, I’d like to begin by acknowledging that this broadcast is airing in the traditional lands of the Ute, the Paiute, the Goshute, and the Shoshone tribes.
These are the peoples who call this land home before it was ravaged and ransacked by the white man.
And this is a lot of things that we don’t necessarily think about. that we don’t necessarily think about.
MATT: Mm-hmm.
And this is part of the journey that you’d like to teach other folks in your workshops.
Yeah.
If you wouldn’t mind, I’d go through the exercise right now.
Uh…
Go ahead. What is it?
So, can we all do it together?
Yeah. Do we stand?
Yeah. Yeah, we stand for it.
Okay.
Okay.
It’s very, very simple. I start every day like this.
So what you’re doing is you’re stretching, you’re stretching, and this is more for you and less for you.
You’re stretching up like this, and you’re stretching out.
Mm-hmm.
What you’re doing is you’re stretching out of your whiteness.
Okay, so you’re decentering your whiteness. Okay, so you’re decentering your whiteness.
You’re stretching out of your whiteness.
You’re probably wondering if this is real.
The answer is yes. It’s real.
That’s me. Matt Walsh. In real life.
With the man bun and the skinny jeans on an actual news show as a certified DEI expert.
If you don’t know,
DEI stands for diversity, equity, and inclusion.
It’s all the rage right now.
But you’re still probably asking, what am I doing on this TV show?
How did I get there?
And how did I become a certified DEI expert?
Well, it’s a complicated story.
[FUNKY MUSIC PLAYING]
I’ve been a white guy my whole life.
Growing up in the ’90s,
I never thought much about race.
I mean, yeah, sure,
you noticed if somebody was Black
or white or Mexican, or whatever,
but it never really seemed to matter that much.
At least not to me.
And we think the vast majority of Americans are racist?
That’s what I’m trying… I totally understand.
I think that there is a significant portion,
um, that are racist
and you can’t…
MATT: These days, though,
we’re told that racial tensions are high.
It’s all over the media.
There are a lot of racists in this country.
MAN: We’re doing a big story about race in America.
Race in America.
KAMALA HARRIS: Black, Latino,
and Indigenous people are suffering and dying…
Violent, white supremacy.
White…
White…
White entitlement.
This is America.
REPORTER: Overnight growing national unrest.
We’ve gotta do the work.
Coffee?
Yes. Thank you.
How do you take it?
[TENSE MUSIC BUILDS]
[MUSIC STOPS]
Black.
That was awkward.
Should I not have said “black”?
That’s how I like my coffee.
I don’t like cream. Is that so wrong?
I don’t think the two should be mixed.
Okay, that does sound racist.
Wait, am I racist?
What is racism?
If I’m gonna sort this out, I need to talk to an expert.
Preferably someone outside of my bubble.
Somebody who can speak with authority
about the Black experience in America.
Or I’ll just talk to this white woman.
This is Kate Slater.
She’s an anti-racist scholar and educator.
Hi. Nice…
Nice to meet ya. How are ya?
And you are the co-creator
of something called the Anti-Racist
Roadmap.
Roadmap. Yeah.
So, what… what is that?
After 2020, we saw
a lot of white people saying,
“Okay, I know I need to do the work,
“but I don’t know what the work is.”
So what is the work?
[CHUCKLES DRILY]
‘Cause I wanna do…
The work.
Do that.
I wanna do it too, but I don’t know what…
What is the work?
I think, for white folks, the work is
reallocating our resources and privileges
to balance out systemic inequities.
So that means there is a white person who says,
“Okay, I’m ready to interrupt racism,”
or, “I’m gonna be really nice
“to that Black or brown person,”
because that’s the work.
But they’re never willing to interrupt
their shitty racist uncle.
That’s a powerful example for me.
You mentioned a racist uncle.
[LAUGHS] I’ve got one, too.
Yeah.
Well, you’re saying,
sometimes we have to confront those people.
Oh, absolutely.
Because if you’re not going to confront them, who is?
When is the right age to talk to our kids
about their racism?
Before they can talk. [LAUGHING]
I mean it. I…
So my six-month-old baby, I used…
Why the hell not? Why the hell not?
My six-month-old…
And honestly, they’ve gone through six months of life,
I’ve never talked to them about racism.
So my daughter’s four years old.
I am an anti-racist educator, quote-unquote.
She’s still watching Disney movies,
and she is choosing a white princess over
princesses of color.
Have you talked to her about that?
All the time.
My three-year-old daughter is very…
Her favorite princess is Moana.
Love it.
It’s a good sign.
Yeah.
But then I also thought,
you know, it’s a little bit of cultural appropriation here.
She wants to be Moana for Halloween.
Mm-hmm.
So, how do we navigate that?
[SIGHS]
Do I go and buy
the Pacific Islander native attire
for my white three-year-old?
Um, I wouldn’t. I [BLEEP] wouldn’t.
But I guess, what we might call the Moana problem here
is what, uh, on one hand, is cultural appropriation.
On the other hand,
there’s gravitating towards white characters.
Right.
So it’s almost like
no matter which way you go,
you end up back…
Right.
…in racism.
We think every space belongs to us
because we live in a white supremacist society.
Is America an inherently racist country?
I think the word “inherent” is challenging there.
If we say…
Fundamentally.
Fundamentally, yes.
America is racist to its bones.
All of the…
So, inherently.
Yeah.
Just to put it as bluntly as possible,
am I racist?
Every white person in America has grown up in a country
where race and racism make up the fabric of our society.
So I don’t think anyone moves through this world
with a non-bias, non-racist world view.
So the answer’s yes, I am racist.
You said it
What do you recommend to people for resources
if they’re just starting on their anti-racist path?
Go to the bookstore
if you’re not reading these books.
And then applying what you’ve learned,
taking what you read about and saying,
“Hey, racist uncle,
“I think we should talk about this.”
That you’re no good.
I’ve never, uh, confronted my own racist uncle.
I haven’t confronted him.
But it’s not ever too late.
No.
No.
Sometimes it means having the conversation
that you’ve been knowing in your heart,
you’ve been putting off for years.
MATT: Hmm.
If Kate Slater’s right, then it’s all worse than I thought.
America is racist down to its bones.
And my Uncle Frank,
well, I’ll deal with him later.
For now, I’ve got a lot of reading to do.
[LIGHTHEARTED MUSIC PLAYING]
So we do have books on anti-racism,
uh, kind of all throughout the store.
There’s a lot of, like, newer stuff
that tends to go on the main floor first, but…
Yeah.
…the bulk of our section,
we keep over here.
This is all anti-racism?
Yeah. This section is really just books on anti-racism,
and a lot of the history of racism,
particularly in the United States.
Am I even allowed to touch this one?
Some of these books are provocative.
WOMAN: Yes. Definitely. [CHUCKLES]
So, what… Am I allowed to even read this one?
WOMAN: I think you’re allowed to read it.
I would not perhaps say the title. [LAUGHS NERVOUSLY]
So I couldn’t call you up and say, “Do you have…”
You might say it’s a book that starts with “N”
and it’s by this author.
Yeah.
If you were looking for that in particular.
That’s probably a level up
from where I am.
[LAUGHS]
How many of these do you think we need to…
need to get through before we can really understand?
Start with one book, let it sit, see how you feel.
I feel like reading one book kind of gets you
into a place where it’s like,
“You know what? I do want to do more about this.”
These are all staff recommendations.
Uh, they’re all fiction, written by diverse authors,
and they’re all pretty fun.
Dumb question. You said diverse authors.
What’s a diverse person?
Uh, that would be basically people who aren’t white,
[CHUCKLES] essentially.
So, Black, Latinx…
So we can’t…
…Native American, Asian…
So everybody who’s not white is diverse.
Well…
Unless you’re… say, gay.
Yeah. I mean,
it’s not just reading Black people, but, you know,
every… Like, there are a lot of different groups
that have faced persecution, and have had a hard time,
and, you know, just being a white,
straight, cisgender person, usually a man,
it’s like kind of the top of the pile.
But, uh…
That’s me.
[LAUGHS]
So I’m on the top of the pile.
Uh… You know…
Where should I start?
White Women , uh,
by Regina Jackson and Saira Rao.
Race 2 Dinner is a thing that they do, uh…
Basically, this book is saying, like,
“We need to stop being nice about racism,”
’cause nothing has been advanced by being nice.
White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo.
Hearing from another white person
about ways to have these conversations,
and ways to break through your own white fragility,
I think, is a really good place to start.
Well, a lot to learn,
but we have all the materials here,
I think…
[CHUCKLES]
…to start the journey.
[INTRIGUING MUSIC PLAYING]
Beautiful bookstore.
Thank you. We’re fond of it.
Thank you.
Have a good day.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING]
MAN: Robin DiAngelo’s 2018 book, White Fragility,
catapulted to the top
o f the New York Times best sellers’ list.
GAYLE KING: Robin DiAngelo is a sociologist,
and she’s author of this book.
Everyone, please check out her book, White Fragility.
Everyone else in the world has.
White Fragility, which is, in many cases,
the Bible for white people…
This is the book that we’ll be reading.
White Fragility.
Crucial and seminal book.
WOMAN: New York Times best-selling list
for the third year.
MATT: “Racism is the norm rather than an aberration.
“Anti-Blackness is foundational
“to our very identities as white people.”
DIANGELO: As a white person,
I was just raised to expect the world to be mine.
That’s how difficult we are.
Wow.
That’s how big, uh, a-holes we are. [LAUGHS]
Yeah.
MATT: “White identity is inherently racist.
“White people do not exist
“outside the system of white supremacy.”
When we say “I’m not racist,” what we’re conveying
is that we’re clueless about what racism is.
And I would just ask white Americans
to remove that phrase from their vocabulary.
“I’m not racist.”
MATT: “Anger, fear, and guilts,
“and behavior such as argumentation silence
“and withdrawal. These responses work to
“maintain our dominance within the racial hierarchy.
“I conceptualize this process as white fragility.”
[WHIMSICAL MUSIC PLAYING]
Robin DiAngelo was right.
Coming to terms with my whiteness
was not going to be easy.
Fortunately, I found a support group
that can help me with my white privilege,
run by an anti-racist expert who specializes in grief.
Her fee was $30,000 to host this workshop,
so, obviously, she must be the best.
But I’m worried that, as a well-known conservative,
the support group may not welcome me into their fold.
Maybe I’ll use a different name
to help me blend in.
Whatever it takes to continue this journey.
WADE: All right. So, typically, I like
to open up the space with a brief meditation,
so if you feel comfortable,
please ground yourself in your seats.
Close your eyes
and just allow yourself to be fully present in the space.
Whatever that means.
Are we meditating?
Okay. Sorry.
When you are ready, open your eyes
and rejoin the space.
All right. So is everybody excited
to talk about anti-racism and grief?
Absolutely.
[ALL LAUGHING]
WADE: Okay.
So, I usually like to get this started
by just introducing ourselves.
If you could please pronounce your name. If you could please pronounce your name.
Uh, please share your pronouns,
how you’re feeling today,
as well as the weirdest compliment
you have ever received.
My name is Dan. Uh, my pronouns are he/him.
I’m feeling excited today.
And then the weirdest compliment
I think I’ve ever received…
I was in the online dating sphere,
and I’ve gotten the “you look much better in person.”
[ALL LAUGHING]
Oh, my God.
Um…
If you wanna stand, you can,
totally, it’s okay.
Okay, I’ll just sit down.
Uh, I’m Steven.
Uh, pronouns, I’ll… Uh, pronouns, I’ll…
you know, I’ll have to get back to you on that.
Um, I’m feeling excited, uh, nervous.
WADE: Mm-hmm.
Uh, present.
A little hungry. [CHUCKLES] But…
The strangest compliment I’ve ever gotten
is I’ve been complimented, uh,
on the number of Black friends that I have…
WADE: Hmm. MATT: …in the past.
So, it’s 17, um…
it’s a number, but, you know…
Sometimes it comes up, but, um…
That’s what people have said, so…
WADE: Hmm.
Thank you, everybody,
for being willing to participate
and for, first and foremost, being here.
We will not end systemic racism.
It is not possible for us to dismantle a system
that has been around for 400 years,
and has effectively and efficiently
destroyed the lives of millions of people.
You all have been grandfathered into the system.
We are here to focus on you
and your experience and your grief
because that is the source
of downstream anti-Blackness and racism. of downstream anti-Blackness and racism.
And quite frankly, I pray to God
you all feel this uncomfortable.
I will be so happy if you all feel extremely uncomfortable,
if you are truly looking at what white supremacy
has done to not only, um,
African Americans, but to yourselves.
You are here to sit amidst whatever suffering
and pain you are experiencing
for the sake of the liberation of others.
That is love.
I don’t know if any of you grew up
with a Christian background. I did. with a Christian background. I did.
[CHUCKLES] Uh…
But love is also not always patient and kind.
When we are talking about systemic oppression,
and the role that we are playing to mitigate it,
patience is not needed.
People are dying.
Kindness is not what is called for.
We are here to talk about the fact
that Black Americans are not safe.
If I’m going to be quite frank,
when I do this work, and these types of circles,
I’m not safe.
But I do them out of necessity.
Why are you…
Why are you not safe in the circle?
Being an African American
in primarily white spaces is not safe for me mentally
or emotionally.
We will go into more depth about that,
but I appreciate that question.
These topics may be difficult, and at times,
you may feel overcome by emotions. That’s okay.
There is a room to the left.
If you find that your emotions are, um,
interfering with the group process,
I kindly ask you to step aside.
Um, so can we start with you? Um, so can we start with you?
I’m here because…
I feel like I’ve been socialized to be an asshole,
and that doesn’t feel good.
And my promise to the Black community
is to lean into
being brave and uncomfortable,
and to love in inconvenient ways.
Thank you.
Well, I’m here on a journey towards
a brighter future, uh, for myself
and for, you know, hopefully, the world. and for, you know, hopefully, the world.
My promise to myself is love.
To love myself.
Which is so important,
and I’ve struggled so much with that.
[SNIFFLES]
I’ve struggled so much with it
in my life, to find myself. Um…
My promise to the Black communities…
[SIGHS] to be so much better.
So much better than I have been to them.
To be better in so many better ways.
To better myself. To better the world. To better myself. To better the world.
And I know that I haven’t been better.
I haven’t been.
But I’m going to be.
That’s my promise.
WADE: Thank you.
Oh.
I am here with the intention
to understand
and learn and, um… and learn and, um…
dig a little bit into…
I’m sorry, can I…
I forgot one other thing I wanted to promise
the Black community.
Um…
It’s really important that we don’t interrupt
each other during the group.
Oh, I’m sorry.
But I appreciate…
I have one other promise for the Black…
We can circle back around.
Thank you.
Are we going to circle back around?
No. No. Uh…
Other things will come up. That’s part of the process.
But I want to be very sure
that we respect everybody’s time.
Okay. I didn’t want someone else to take my promise
to the Black community that I was gonna make.
Well, thank you. Please continue.
The promise that I am making to myself The promise that I am making to myself
is to be elastic.
To use my voice and my privilege,
to be heard.
Uh, to…
That’s what I was gonna say, but…
Please allow her to finish.
Sorry.
If we think about the construction of whiteness
as an identity,
it makes sense that the seeds of white supremacy
are buried within your subconscious,
whether or not you realize it, and without your consent.
It is often uncommon for white Americans
to be aware of their privilege, to be aware of their privilege,
let alone how it’s functioning on a day-to-day basis.
You said, a moment ago…
Um, there’ll be an oppor…
Can I say something?
Uh, yes. Ask a question.
You said, a moment ago,
that the seeds of white supremacy
are in all of us.
Yes.
How do we get them out?
That’s what the presentation…
We’re going through the presentation to discuss that.
If there is another interruption,
I’m going to have to respectfully ask you
to step out and go to the second room to the left.
But next time, I am gonna have to ask you to leave, okay?
Leave for good?
Just until you’re able to rejoin the group
and participate without interruption.
Yeah?
That’s fair.
Okay. Thank you.
[EXHALES LOUDLY]
White supremacy has essentially created a system
driven by grief,
and that is why we are here to discuss
white grief in particular.
I would like you to close your eyes
and spend the next 30 seconds
thinking about,
what does that loss feel like in your body? what does that loss feel like in your body?
It feels like a thousand knives
plunging into my soul.
And a sack being…
hit by bats and bricks.
And the whole sack is thrown into the ocean.
Thank you.
That’s what it feels like.
And it’s very… it’s…
Oh, um…
What?
We’re moving to her now.
I… I didn’t finish. I… I didn’t finish.
Please finish.
MATT: Um…
The sack’s thrown into the ocean,
then the sack’s taken out,
and it’s set on fire.
[MATT SMACKS LIPS]
Thank you.
That’s what it feels like.
I have spent a lot of time in primarily white spaces.
For better or worse. [LAUGHS] So…
And that has come with a cost.
How long will it take until
the next microaggression comes up?
These are things that I carry every time These are things that I carry every time
I am in a room with primarily white people.
You’re safe here.
I think I speak for all of us when I say,
in this room…
WADE: I…
One more interruption…
White folks.
…I’m gonna have to ask you to step out again.
Okay. I just wanted to reassure you.
WADE: Thank you. I appreciate that.
I just want to.
Thanks.
So, what do you feel in your body
when you hear the term “white people”?
I feel, like, a cringe about it.
“Cringe” is a good word.
WADE: Cringe? Yeah?
I couldn’t pick a word,
WADE: Cringe? Yeah?
I couldn’t pick a word,
but that’s a very good one.
WADE: Okay.
As soon as you asked the question, I felt,
inside, like a gut…
a little bit of a poke. “Ugh.”
And I think it’s for all of the reasons,
but also a little anger…
WADE: Mm-hmm.
…at whiteness as, um, that lie.
Just, “ugh!”
WADE: Mm-hmm. Thank you.
[MATT SNICKERS]
[MUMBLES]
WADE: The thing about…
I’m gonna step out for a moment.
Thank you. Appreciate that.
The thing about…
MATT: Which one is the cry room? MATT: Which one is the cry room?
The second door to the left.
Thank you.
[WHIMSICAL MUSIC PLAYS]
MATT: My time in the cry room
allowed me some much-needed reflection and self-care,
but with me out of the room,
the group put two and two together and realized
who I actually was.
Not a guy named Steven.
When I finally returned,
things were drastically different.
When I do this work, the, uh, white participants
in the group feel that there’s something in themselves in the group feel that there’s something in themselves
that they have to overcome.
[DOOR OPENS]
When all that’s
being requested of you…
[CLEARS THROAT]
…is that you be.
Hello.
MATT: Hi.
WADE: How are you?
Sorry about that.
Oh, no problem.
You good?
Yeah.
Remind me of your name again?
Uh… Uh, Steven.
Steven? Yeah? Okay.
Um…
Did you want to come up?
Come up?
Yeah. Do you wanna come up and share anything?
Sure. What do you want me to share? Sure. What do you want me to share?
Whatever’s on your mind.
I just want to know that, like, my physical safety
and yours and everybody else’s here is okay.
Why would your physical safety not be okay?
Did I miss something?
I don’t feel comfortable.
What… Can you guys
catch me up to speed on what’s going on here?
You don’t need to be caught up.
We’re gonna be silent.
Is it because I said I had 17 Black friends?
It might have been 15. I…
It depends on how you count them.
I would really appreciate it if you left,
so that the people who actually want to be here
and deserve to be here can get what they need.
I do want to be here.
Can you please leave?
I would like it if you left.
I’m trying to learn. I’m on this journey.
Come with me.
Well…
WADE: Thank you.
I didn’t… I didn’t consent to be touched.
I’m not offering to touch you.
I’m offering to walk you out.
Will you walk with me, and I’ll answer your questions?
Okay. I’ll admit it.
I’ll admit it. My name’s not Steven.
WADE: Hmm.
Maybe you already knew that.
My name is Matt Walsh. My name is Matt Walsh.
WADE: Mm-hmm
Mm-hmm. We know.
I just was here on this…
on this journey that I’m just starting, but…
I see that I’m not wanted.
If you were on your journey,
then you would’ve told us who you were
and your real name, but you didn’t.
Please leave.
Are you saying
I need a better disguise? Is that what you…
I don’t know. Maybe.
But you can figure that out as you walk out the door.
WOMAN 1: How did you get in here?
WOMAN 2: We all had an invitation.
Maybe.
Yeah. Maybe.
[WHIMSICAL MUSIC PLAYS]
MATT: Thank you so much.
I really had a transformative experience myself. I really had a transformative experience myself.
And my pronouns are he/him.
[INDISTINCT POLICE RADIO CHATTER]
I did everything I could to fit in.
I opened up.
I was raw and emotional.
I told them about my Black friends.
It was no use. They rejected me.
And they called the police.
My mere presence in the room caused them pain.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS] [SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS]
I’ll never be accepted if I look like this.
If they know that I’m Matt Walsh,
I’ll always be an outsider.
I need to go deeper undercover.
A whole new identity.
If I want to be an ally, I need to look like one.
Like someone who is progressive,
tolerant, enlightened.
Let me think.
Have I ever met anyone like that?
Ah, yes.
Yes, I have.
What is a woman?
Why do you ask that question?
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]
[MUSIC FADING OUT]
It’s time to get serious about my anti-racist training.
And it’s not gonna be cheap.
Nice to meet you.
I’m Matt. How are you?
Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you.
I guess I’ll take my seat here.
[HIP-HOP MUSIC PLAYING, DO THE WORK! BY BRYSON GRAY]
[RAPPING] ♪ I’ma show ya’ll how to stop being racist ♪
♪ You gotta do the work though ♪
BYRD: What is race?
♪ Okay, don’t be a bigot Post a black square ♪
♪ Drink Bud Light Put blue dye in your hair ♪
♪ Tell your sons to put on a dress ♪
♪ Who cares what they wear? Ukraine flag in bio ♪
♪ Okay, we’re almost there ♪ ♪ Okay, we’re almost there ♪
So it emerged in the late 1600s essentially.
MATT: Did race exist as a reality before?
We made race exist.
♪ Don’t be early for work, that’s white supremacy ♪
♪ And if you drink, make sure it’s Hennessy ♪
♪ Math is racist too, so check the history ♪
♪ And if you don’t see it, then check your memory ♪
♪ Do the work, do the work ♪
♪ If you wanna stop being racist, do the work ♪
♪ Do the work, do the work ♪
♪ Let go of your white privilege ♪ ♪ Let go of your white privilege ♪
♪ Do the work, work, work ♪
Now that we’ve talked a little bit about what race is,
then what is racism?
♪ Do the work, do the work ♪
♪ If you wanna stop being racist, do the work ♪
Robin DiAngelo, so she’s the author
of the book, White Fragility.
She talks about the system of racism
that we have in the US is based on white supremacy.
♪ Do the work, do the work ♪
♪ If you wanna stop being racist, do the work ♪
This is why a conversation about reparations
and about repair is important. and about repair is important.
♪ Do the work, do the work ♪
Ultimately, should we be a colorblind society is what
Martin Luther King said, not to judge people
by the color of their skin.
Um, so Martin Luther King said a lot of stuff,
but he knew about institutional,
interpersonal and internalized racism.
I’ve been told, because I’m a white male,
I’m kind of at the top of the pile.
How do I get down from the top
if I say I don’t want that advantage?
Um…
I don’t think you necessarily can.
[DO THE WORK! CONTINUES PLAYING] [DO THE WORK! CONTINUES PLAYING]
The reason we cannot be colorblind now
is because we’re still working on the problem.
♪ Do the work, do the work ♪
♪ Let go of your white privilege, do the work ♪
♪ Do the work, do the work ♪
♪ If you wanna stop being racist, do the work ♪
♪ Do the work, do the work ♪
♪ If you wanna stop being racist, do the work ♪
[LIGHT ROCK MUSIC PLAYING]
I’m DEI certified. How are you?
DEI certified. I’m here to help.
DEI certified. If you need some help, let me know, sir.
I’m DEI certified.
What?
What?
Let me know if you need some help. I’m DEI certified.
Oh, good.
If you need any help, just let me know.
My name’s Matt. I am, uh, certified
in diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Just got my certification. Just got my certification.
Just letting you know I am DEI certified.
DEI certified.
What is DEI?
You’re in good hands here. I am qualified to have
these kinds of important dialogues.
So I guess I’ll start with,
where are you guys in your anti-racist journeys?
Just talk to me about, uh, decentering your whiteness
and where you are on that journey.
-“Decentering my whiteness.”
Yeah.
Why do I have to go away from my whiteness
and decentralize it?
I recently actually took a masters level course,
um, about inclusion and diversity. um, about inclusion and diversity.
Have you heard of DiversityAndInclusion.com?
I have not.
Couple of different prestigious institutions.
We all go to different schools, but go ahead.
There were some things that,
you know, kind of brought to my thought process
during that course that I had never…
Like what?
…thought about before.
Um, just about my own thinking.
When you start thinking about how you feel,
but you maybe don’t want to feel.
[CHUCKLES] Does that make sense?
It does make sense. What do you mean?
Um…
All I know is that, like,
I am white, and I am not racist. I am white, and I am not racist.
That’s how we, uh, deal with racism?
We just… We just say, “Oh, it’s not happening.”
Yeah, the more you talk about it,
the more you are blatantly acknowledging race.
And if you wanna forget it…
We have to acknowledge it.
You need to shut up about it.
I don’t want to forget about it.
It’s cool, like, you can flash your card all you want,
but you gotta be a real human at some point in your life.
Did you see the card?
I don’t give a damn
about your card, bro.
Let’s see it.
Look, we’re not gonna solve racism in this conversation,
but we can all agree
that you guys have some things to learn.
I feel like you’re the most racist person I feel like you’re the most racist person
I’ve ever talked to.
[CHUCKLES]
One of us got the license, the other one didn’t, so…
You just sound like a really racist person.
That I am. I’ve realized that.
I’ve been told that.
Why do you admit that?
Because denying it doesn’t make it go away.
We can’t all be certified experts.
[CHUCKLES]
I mean, I am,
but we can’t all be.
[BOTH LAUGH]
All right.
We’re still on a journey, all of us together.
Yeah.
That’s my motto.
I think you got some journeying to do.
MATT: I know I make this look easy,
but DEI work is harder than you think. but DEI work is harder than you think.
I still have a lot to learn.
A viral video from September
at ASU’s multi-cultural center ignited a firestorm.
What’d I do wrong?
WOMAN 1: You have a bag…
WOMAN 2: You’re… You’re offensive.
You’re making this space uncomfortable.
…uncomfortable.
WOMAN 2: But you’re white.
This white man thinks he can take up our space,
and this is why we need a multi-cultural space.
You are racist! Your sticker’s racist because
you can choose to be a cop,
you can choose to kill people with a badge,
and you’re protecting that shit, and you’re protecting that shit,
which means that you’re racist!
MATT: Meet the charming young lady from that video.
Sarra Tekola.
Founding member of Black Lives Matter, Phoenix.
She has a Ph.D. in Sustainability, which means
something really important, I’m sure.
She’s agreed to help me learn how to decolonize myself.
For a $1,500 fee, of course.
So let’s just get this kicked off.
I’m a white guy myself.
What’s up with white people?
Um, where do we start?
Let me reframe the question a little bit.
What’s wrong with white people? What’s wrong with white people?
A lot of it has to do with cognitive dissidence
which allows, um, white people
to feel okay about what happened.
There’s actually a lot of studies on Nazi doctors,
and how they were able to, um, live with themselves.
Um, and it’s not that much different than white Americans
or white people around the world, right?
It’s this splitting of the self.
And so, um,
you have this part of you that knows
that they did wrong, the shadow self, that they did wrong, the shadow self,
and that you have to split that.
And you have the other self that’s like,
“Oh, I didn’t do anything wrong.
“Racism? Why are you blaming me
“for what my ancestors did? It’s not my fault.”
Is racism inherent to whiteness?
I would say so.
I would say that we need to abolish whiteness.
It’s always been rooted in othering the other people
who don’t fit into whiteness,
but when we look at white culture,
the only thing about white culture
is buying things and stealing things.
How do I…
confront my shadow, my shadow self? confront my shadow, my shadow self?
Acknowledging the parts of you that are racist,
and then being able to unpack and unlearn those.
Could I say, if someone called me racist,
could I say, “Well, I’m not racist.”
“My shadow self is, but I’m not”?
It’s the splitting of the self.
Like I said in the beginning about Nazi doctors.
The fact that you have two selves is a problem.
The more that you can merge it together,
then you could be able to acknowledge these dark sides.
But I don’t want to merge it,
because the shadow self is racist,
so I don’t want to be merged, right? I want to…
separate.
No. You have to.
separate.
No. You have to.
Yeah, because, uh, the thing is,
when you don’t merge them together,
your shadow self is out here being racist,
and you’re not even aware of it,
because that self, right…
So I gotta pull him in. I gotta merge him with mine.
Yeah.
But then make it all…
Yeah.
…not racist.
Yes.
I’m wondering, where do I go from here as an individual
on this anti-racist journey?
You just know whose land you’re on.
Our existence as Americans
is predicated on other people’s suffering.
Learn about who is suffering Learn about who is suffering
because of our existence on… on this stolen land.
It is important to feel bad,
um, about what your ancestors did.
Embrace the pain.
Yes.
[DO THE WORK! BY BRYSON GRAY PLAYS]
MATT: To be a good ally, I need to be an activist.
Our nation is littered with relics from our racist past.
I’m on a mission to right historical wrongs.
I needed some help, so I asked Ben,
one of my 17 Black friends,
to join me on my quest to change the world. to join me on my quest to change the world.
We have a petition.
Uh, we’re hoping that maybe you’d be willing to sign it.
We have a petition. We want to rename
the George Washington Monument.
To?
MATT: To the George Floyd Monument.
Because, of course,
George Washington was a slave owner.
Yep.
And so in some ways,
this is symbolic. Symmetry, it’s George for George,
you might say. Would you mind signing?
I don’t see why not. I will.
Okay.
Yeah. Sure.
Yeah.
Oh, man. I love that.
We’re talking about painting it black.
We’re gonna raise it 30%,
um, increasing it in height.
Excuse me, sir.
Sir, we have a petition. Sir?
For historical inequities to redress…
Is there a Black person around here?
I would hug them and apologize to them
all day long for what happened.
There’s a Black person right here.
Does he not exist?
I’m sorry. I just didn’t look that direction.
Sounds like you’re in the habit of overlooking
marginalized communities.
Brother.
You are an American. I love you.
I’m sorry for what happened in the past. I really am.
Let’s just sign it and move on.
You don’t have an opinion, but you’ll sign it anyway?
If that’s what you’d like me to, I can help.
I would like you to.
I can help you guys out.
I would like you to.
I can help you guys out.
Yeah. Thank you so much.
Sign here?
Yes. Absolutely.
I think it’s a beautiful idea.
You think it’s a beautiful idea?
I do.
MATT: We’ve got an encouraging number of signatures so far.
We have a petition for the…
to redress historical inequities.
Would you mind signing it?
You will?
[CAR HORN HONKING]
Uh, we want to rename the George Washington Monument
to the George Floyd Monument.
[CAR HORN BLARES]
Thank you so much.
Would you be willing to?
I can’t agree with that.
Will you sign it?
No. [CHUCKLES]
So are you gonna erase all of them? So are you gonna erase all of them?
Yes.
No. [SNIFFS]
Can you sign it anyway?
Nope.
MATT: Getting people to agree
to change the George Washington Monument
to the George Floyd Monument seemed ambitious.
I’m pleasantly surprised
people are willing to erase our problematic history.
♪ If you wanna stop being racist, do the work ♪
WOMAN ON TV: I spend way too much time cleaning.
MAN ON TV: Oh, the broom shaka lakas
for more than just…
[FLIPS CHANNELS]
WOMAN 2: It’s come with a full 60-day…
DR. PHIL: There’s a controversial documentary out DR. PHIL: There’s a controversial documentary out
entitled Destructing Karen .
REGINA JACKSON: How many of you would trade places
with a Black person in this society?
Raise your hand.
[TENSE MUSIC PLAYING]
DR. PHIL: Today, on an all-new Dr. Phil ,
Regina Jackson and Saira Rao.
Now, they are co-founders of Race 2 Dinner.
What did you expect at these dinners?
Basically, exactly what we expect is what we get. Basically, exactly what we expect is what we get.
Some women are ready to do the work.
But pretty much when they come to the dinners,
“It’s not me. I’m not racist.”
MATT: Hold on a minute.
I’ve heard of these ladies before.
Race 2 Dinner is a thing that they do, uh…
Basically, this book is saying, like,
“We need to stop being nice about racism.”
MATT: Stop being nice about racism?
What a concept!
Apparently, you just pay these ladies thousands of dollars
to come over for dinner and call you racist.
It’s genius!
I absolutely need to attend one of these dinners.
But there’s a big problem.
Only white women are allowed to attend.
Why do white women get to have all the fun?
I need to find another way to earn a seat at the table.
[CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYING]
[MUSIC ENDS]
JACKSON: Okay.
So, at these dinners, we only have one rule.
And the rule is that if you have to cry,
you have to leave the table.
Generally, we will have the host just set up a room,
you know, with lots of tissue
and everything…
[ALL CHUCKLE]
…so you can go in there and sob your heart out.
When a white woman starts crying,
it draws all the attention it draws all the attention
from the room…
WOMAN: Yeah.
JACKSON: …onto that poor,
white woman.
Yeah.
Even the language of whiteness softens everything.
White fragility, so what that is, is…
And by the way, a white woman,
you know, your hero, Robin DiAngelo,
coined that term,
and it’s for when people…
when Black and brown people talk about racism
and then white people get upset, you know, angry,
and then deflect the conversation.
By not wanting to address your racism
and your white supremacy,
that is upholding white supremacy.
That is not fragile. So just think about how even language That is not fragile. So just think about how even language
to describe your violent behavior
is couched in ways to make you all seem delicate.
JACKSON: And to make you comfortable.
RAO: So…
tell us one instance
that your racism has shown up recently.
And that’s either something
you did…
Didn’t do.
…thought or an action.
WOMAN 1: So, my husband’s Black,
so it can be an everyday white supremacist thing. so it can be an everyday white supremacist thing.
Like, if I’m out in public,
and he’s, like, really loud or something
and I’ll shush him.
Why do you do that?
Uh, usually because we’re in a space
that I think should be quiet, which is probably
my white supremacy talking.
So, that’s basically tone policing
a Black person…
JACKSON: Mm-hmm.
RAO: …who happens to be your husband.
WOMAN 1: Yeah.
Okay. Who’s next?
WOMAN 2: This one mom starts going on about
how her white son is so screwed. how her white son is so screwed.
Been rejected here, and “white boy, white boy.”
All right, white entitlement, white centering,
tone policing, white silence.
White women owned slaves.
Period. That’s what it is.
Let’s be clear what’s happening in this country.
It’s Nazism.
Yeah.
RAO: Republicans are Nazis.
I assume it sounds like everyone here
is probably not a Republican. I might be wrong.
Am I wrong about the…
Is there any Republican at this table?
You cannot separate yourselves
from the bad white people.
[DOOR CREAKS]
The proliferation of guns has happened The proliferation of guns has happened
every time whites feel terrified
of Black and brown people,
which is literally every 10 seconds,
but also, um, when there’s an event like Obama.
Like Ferguson. Like 9/11.
Like COVID-19. Like George Floyd. Thank you.
Um…
You’ve been killing all of us, right?
Primarily Black folks, and we’re just right behind.
Right? There’s the hierarchy.
Whiteness is even more insidious than I…
than I even knew even a year ago.
And whiteness also robs you of your brain.
You know, you all have gave up
your reproductive health rights without… your reproductive health rights without…
You wouldn’t even get off your Peloton bike
for 10 minutes to go protest that.
MATT: Did you want a second roll?
No, thank you. Oh, okay. I’m good.
JACKSON: Black people know
that white people believe they need their guns
to protect yourselves from us.
We’ve decided that it’s okay for the Second Amendment,
which is literally synonymous with white supremacy,
to be our bible.
MATT: [WHISPERS] You want some?
This is what anti-racism is.
It’s actually what anti-whiteness is.
It has to burn.
Mm-hmm.
The entire system has to burn.
And I’m not looking to you to save this country.
This country is not worth saving.
This country is a piece of shit.
[PLATES CRASH]
Oh, my goodness!
MATT: Oh, sorry.
RAO: Um, but yes.
Uh, aren’t you all tired of living like this? Seriously.
I mean, I used to be a white woman.
An unsuccessful one…
[WOMEN CHUCKLE]
…for many decades.
And it was a miserable experience.
And really, the… the… the hatred of yourselves And really, the… the… the hatred of yourselves
and each other is like the most…
The not seeing your power.
The being afraid, like,
all you do is talk shit about each other,
talk shit about yourselves, “Oh, my God, I’m so fat.”
MATT: That’s all they do. That’s all they do.
[WOMEN LAUGH]
I’m telling you.
These white women.
RAO: But it’s… it’s… That’s it.
It’s “I’m so fat. I’m so stupid.
“I’m blah blah blah.”
[PLATES CRASH AND CLATTER]
MATT: Sorry.
RAO: Your kids are watching you. RAO: Your kids are watching you.
And they’re watching you talking shit about each other.
You know, raging against a machine or being silent
or whatever the hell it is
that you’re doing or not doing.
And they know that you’re not doing shit for them.
MATT: That’s so important.
That is so important, what she just said.
It’s real… It’s really important.
That’s…
We may have to add you to our team. [LAUGHS]
Oh! I would love to take a seat and join you.
No. You’re not allowed to.
MATT: Oh, okay.
Definitely not allowed.
MATT: Okay.
I do have my DEI certification
that I… that I got.
Okay.
that I… that I got.
Okay.
Okay.
MATT: So…
Not saying I’m an expert, but I’m also not a novice.
So… [CHUCKLES]
Okay.
White people are starved for these conversations.
MATT: We are. We are so starving.
JACKSON: Yeah.
We are so starving for this.
RAO: Anyone else?
Want to say anything?
MATT: I’ll just say one thing.
I’m so glad we can have these conversations.
And I’ll be done. But, uh, I’m just so glad
that we could all get together to have these conversations.
[CHUCKLES] That’s all I wanted to say.
JACKSON: Thank you.
Is he an actor?
Are you an actor?
MATT: Oh, no.
Can you let us… We’re trying to listen Can you let us… We’re trying to listen
and trying to have this conversation.
MATT: Okay. You know,
we’re all acting all the time in our lives,
and, uh, and I think that that’s part of the problem.
You know? [SIGHS]
And it’s like we’re all trying to play a part
rather than just being real
and having these uncomfortable conversations.
And that’s what I’m always trying to tell people.
Especially, you know, white women. No offense.
But… [CHUCKLES]
RAO: No,
but, see, like, you’re a white dude.
There’s power positions
and, uh, you know…
MATT: Yeah.
…it’s pointing… pointing…
white people pointing fingers at each other is not helpful. white people pointing fingers at each other is not helpful.
MATT: You know, I’ve been on this journey for so long,
and just to see you guys at the table
having this conversation has been really
enlightening for me.
Anyway, I got the DEI certification.
[SMACKS LIPS] And I’m just on the journey.
All right. You ladies have a great…
RAO: Thank you. JACKSON: All right.
[DOOR OPENS]
Decolonize yourself.
Mm-hmm.
Do your own white supremacy dismantling. Do your own white supremacy dismantling.
And then you can start to bring in other people.
MATT: Can I just… Can I just say one last thing?
Can I just propose a toast?
Uh, I mean, just raise a glass if you’re racist.
And that’s the thing.
Cheers. Oh, I’m not racist. Let me put my glass down.
MATT: All the rest of you.
[JACKSON LAUGHS]
To racists.
[GLASSES CLINKING]
[BLUEGRASS MUSIC PLAYING]
MATT: What a charming group of ladies. MATT: What a charming group of ladies.
I’ve learned a lot from my fellow anti-racists.
But now it’s time to evangelize.
To go to white America
and teach them about their privilege.
This biker bar will do just fine.
[ENGINE REVVING]
I’m sure these people
would love to have an honest dialogue
about the perils of whiteness.
[BLUEGRASS MUSIC CONTINUES]
[MUSIC ENDS]
[ROCK MUSIC PLAYS]
MATT: What are you doing,
personally, in your life to decenter your whiteness?
What do you mean, decenter it? Well…
Take it away from the center of…
Who’s making it the center? Why are they doing that?
Why race has to be thrown in on everything?
Well, you’re white… you’re white.
So? Who cares?
I mean, really, the way that the world is going right now,
people need to be concerned
with how they’re going to feed their families.
Not what color is that man’s skin.
I got Black friends, I love them, too.
But they know they’re Black.
Do you know they’re Black?
Of course I do, and I like it. Good for them.
Well, you know, one thing I’ve learned is that
if you meet a Black person,
you want to forget that they’re Black.
But don’t forget that they’re Black.
Why would you want to forget that they’re Black?
Well, don’t. But also don’t.
Are they a friend?
Well, don’t. But also don’t.
Are they a friend?
Then you should embrace them being Black.
I think Black men should have pride in being Black.
And I think you should have pride in being white.
What’s wrong with that?
I agree with the first part.
Hello, sir.
Hi.
What’s your name?
Pat.
Pat?
Yeah.
What about you? Do you have, uh, kids?
Do you have a wife?
Yeah, I’ve got…
two or three kids…
Two or three kids?
Yeah.
You don’t have to give me the whole list,
but what are some ways
that you’re, um, confronting your whiteness? that you’re, um, confronting your whiteness?
My whiteness?
Yeah.
I get along good with Black people.
I used to have… I used to have a Black brother.
I called him my brother. He called me his brother.
Was he really your brother?
No, he wasn’t.
You were calling a Black man brother?
Yeah. I had more Black friends
living in Huntsville than I had white friends.
Really?
Yeah.
So that’s in your own life, but systemically…
Considering the way things is at now?
Yeah.
Just to summarize. But what do you think about Just to summarize. But what do you think about
this issue of heteronormativity
and how it intersects
with the broader structures of racism in society?
Huh?
I mean, ultimately, how do we get to a point of,
let’s say, racial harmony?
I don’t know.
But I’m just telling you what I said.
That’s a lot to think about on my own journey.
It’s good to talk to you.
Mm-hmm.
Uh, I’m a vegetarian as well.
Uh, just started on the vegan, uh, journey also, Uh, just started on the vegan, uh, journey also,
so I’m glad…
That don’t say “vegetarian.”
That’s a…
-“Vaginatarian.” [LAUGHS] -“Vaginatarian.”
[LAUGHING]
What is that?
That’s a little bit of a sexist joke.
Well, you know. It is what it is.
What do you think about racism in society?
Is it… Do you think it’s a big problem?
I was born in 1960.
My dad, my uncle,
my granddaddy, were Klansmen.
It never affected me.
But you don’t… You’re not…
No.
…racist?
No.
…racist?
No. Not at all.
And how do you know?
How do either of you know that you’re…
Because I… I accept people as they are.
WOMAN: Exactly.
If you approach me as a human being,
then I’m gonna be a human being too.
We all bleed the same way.
What do you think about systemic racism?
Systemic? What the hell is that?
Is the system constructed in such a way
as to marginalize people of color?
You wanna do away with racism?
Quit labeling people as Black and white. Quit labeling people as Black and white.
WOMAN: Exactly.
But that’s colorblindness,
which is problematic.
If I meet you as a Black man, and you…
you approach me, I shake your hand.
We go in here, we have a conversation,
we have a beer or ride down the road on a motorcycle.
What the hell does your color got to do with it?
It’s all right here, bubba.
[BLUEGRASS MUSIC PLAYS]
If you treat people right, they treat you right.
And…
I don’t care what color they are.
You gotta treat each other right.
MATT: I was expecting these bikers
would be a bunch of racists.
And obviously, I was right.
These people haven’t even started
to decenter their whiteness.
Now I need to go deeper into the racist south,
so that I can talk to people of color
about their lived experience with racism.
I was in the drug game for 18 years of my life, man.
And 14 and a half years went all, uh, to incarceration.
So how did you get out?
I got out through, uh, the pages of the Word of God.
MAN: My parents always taught me to love everybody.
Don’t allow skin color to ever become a problem for you.
We didn’t… We didn’t see colors, baby.
Because we grew up together.
And you know, it was a lot of love.
Inherent dignity, it’s in all of us.
Though we’re different in so many ways,
we’re still alike in so many more ways.
So we all one in God’s sight.
Yes.
MATT: So how long have you owned this shop here?
I came here August 15, 1971, from British Guyana. I came here August 15, 1971, from British Guyana.
Did you start a family and all that?
Yes. Altogether I have 53 grandchildren.
Wow.
Yeah.
You think the country has been good to you?
Yeah. Yeah, very good. Very good, yeah.
How do you feel about America today?
America, man, is a beautiful country.
A beautiful country. I don’t have no problem here.
A lot of people, pretty critical of, uh…
of this country, and, you know…
I don’t know why.
It can be kind of a racist country.
No. No, no, no.
Do you experience a lot of microaggressions out here?
Nah. Not out here.
No.
Well, what about the systemic issue?
Systemic…
What you mean by “systemic”?
Well, the whole country. The system.
The system is… You know, the system is racist.
Mm…
Not to me.
Not to you?
No. Not to me, man.
I don’t think about those things,
racism and all that stuff.
I’ve been reading a lot of books recently.
Robin DiAngelo, White Fragility, obviously.
Uh, been reading a lot of anti-racist literature. Uh, been reading a lot of anti-racist literature.
Mm-hmm. I don’t read them things.
What do you read?
The only thing I read is the Bible.
I got it in the car right there.
If you looked in my car,
you’ll see it right there on the seat.
So you haven’t read any Robin DiAngelo?
Uh, no. No, no. Robin DiAngelo, who is that?
Well, she’s a anti-racist, uh…
Oh, no, no, no. No, no, no.
…expert.
I never read them kind of books, man.
If I get a book like that,
I put it down. I don’t want it.
I got a couple copies in my car. I can give you one.
No. I don’t want it. I don’t want it. No. I don’t want it. I don’t want it.
I don’t want it. [LAUGHS]
No. ‘Cause that is not in my heart. No.
I’ve kind of been working on, uh, decentering my whiteness.
Oh, your whiteness? [CHUCKLES]
Aight now, baby. We all bleed the same thing, dude.
If I cut you right there, you will bleed just like me.
[LAUGHING]
I…
It’s just the color of your skin.
How do we get past all the, uh,
talk about racism and the…
Oh, we gotta love each other, like I said.
We have to love each other. We have to love each other.
That’s how you get past racism.
Well, it can’t be that simple.
Huh?
Is it that simple?
Well, yeah. I mean, to me.
[BLUEGRASS MUSIC PLAYS]
MATT: Something’s not right.
These people said the same thing as those bikers.
White supremacy is more pervasive
than I ever imagined.
I need to talk to someone
who has stared directly into the face of racism.
July 16th…
Mm-hmm.
…2022.
Mm-hmm.
Difficult day for you.
Very.
And for America.
The popular kids amusement park
apologized after a video went viral apologized after a video went viral
that appeared to show a costumed character
snubbing two Black girls.
Okay, you see the character coming,
high-fiving everybody as he goes down the street.
Gets to those two little girls.
And appears to just flat out say no,
and you see the little girls,
and their faces, and they’re heartbroken.
MATT: Meet Jodi Brown.
The mother who was victimized
at the hands of Rosita, the Sesame Street character.
She was reluctant to talk about the traumatic incident,
but for $50,000,
she was willing to tell her tragic story.
Now, you have described this moment as disgusting. Now, you have described this moment as disgusting.
Because I feel like if you are able to acknowledge
someone before my children and after my children,
you could’ve stopped two seconds just to say hello.
This was something targeted at your… you and your child.
It was a very intentional racist act.
We don’t want some explanation that, “Oh, the performer
“didn’t see these two young girls.”
Which one of them is in isolation today
from the harm that is being caused by this company.
So we’re gonna demand So we’re gonna demand
that they take care of any type of healthcare
or mental care expenses
that these children have realized.
And who is Rosita? Who’s in that costume?
Mel Gibson.
I think that person needs to be,
you know, held accountable.
Fired and held to account.
Absolutely fired.
Well, before you fire ’em,
teach ’em why they’re being fired.
[APPLAUSE]
WOMAN: And then let them go.
And then let them go.
How do we fix the endemic racism among mascots?
Mascots, I feel, like, need to be trained better. Mascots, I feel, like, need to be trained better.
Do you know who the employee is that was
in the costume?
No.
That information was never given to me.
Uh, do we know if they’re white?
Um, that information was also not given to me.
[FUNKY MUSIC PLAYING]
Do you think American society is racist?
There is an epidemic of hate
in the United States of America.
Threats of violence.
Threats of death and destruction. Threats of death and destruction.
Hate and racism are alive and well in America.
This is just absolutely crazy.
She was verbally attacked by a group of men.
And I heard
distinctly them saying “Donald Trump.”
REPORTER: …where a hate crime
is being investigated…
…third consecutive year
a noose has been found on campus.
Bitter, brutal hate crimes that are on the rise.
17% increase.
REPORTER 1: 20% increase.
REPORTER 2: 55%.
Hate crimes have surged…
REPORTER 1: More than 7,200 hate crimes.
A noose was found in Bubba’s garage. A noose was found in Bubba’s garage.
It’s not about racing.
It’s about race.
The Jussie Smollett hate crime case
shows what appears to be a noose
around the Empire actor’s neck.
You could not get more reprehensible than a noose.
We have a media that’s saying it’s a debate whether or not
what just happened to Jussie Smollett
is a hate crime. It’s absurd.
I’ve been truthful and consistent
on every single level since day one.
Right now, there is a domestic terrorism prevention bill
moving through the house.
The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act. The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act.
Thank you.
The hate crimes task force is investigating…
REPORTER: Hate crimes.
Hate crimes.
Hate crime.
Hate crime.
REPORTER: Hate crime.
[LAUGHING]
[SIGHS SOFTLY]
Hate crimes.
Thoughts?
I think that hate crimes are bad.
Hate in general, uh, is not good.
But they’re everywhere now.
No.
It’s an epidemic.
No.
It’s an epidemic.
No, it’s… it’s not.
Well, out of, what,
20 million index crimes a year,
there are 6,000, 7,000 hate crimes.
No, there’s no epidemic.
This is one of those things
where there’s a huge disconnect
between media presentation,
and this really is something I research professionally.
And one of the reasons that you’re probably
talking to me also is I wrote the book, Hate Crime Hoax,
and I mean, I noted that over a period of maybe…
You wrote the book called what?
Uh, Hate Crime Hoax.
I pointed out that a lot of these incidents, I pointed out that a lot of these incidents,
Jussie Smollett, uh,
Covington Catholic, Yasmin Seweid,
Duke lacrosse, Bubba Wallace…
Terrible story.
Uh, but they didn’t happen. That’s the thing.
None of those stories that I’m mentioning happened.
I mean, you can just go on and on with this.
Uh, Kansas State, the horrible racial epithets
written on upscale vehicles…
Okay. Let… Let’s…
Let’s slow down here for a moment.
So you wrote the book, Hate Crime Hoax?
Yes.
We’re missing a word in our notes on that.
Uh…
That’s an issue from the producer there That’s an issue from the producer there
if it just says “Hate Crimes,”
or “Hate Crime Epidemic,” or something like that.
Yeah.
Uh, and you say that you’re Black?
Yes.
Don’t the statistics
show that anti-Black hate crimes
are a huge problem?
If you break down the statistics.
Well, I think that depends on your definition
of a huge problem. I mean, so the…
One of the biggest problems.
No. The statistics absolutely do not show that. No. The statistics absolutely do not show that.
What are the statistics?
If you go into the FBI numbers annually,
there are maybe 7,000
actual reported, documented hate crimes
in a typical…
In a day?
No, in a typical year.
But the total number of crimes in the United States,
more than 2 million committed by African Americans.
Almost a million committed against African Americans.
This is just violent crimes.
And it’s just the case
that there are way more crimes than there are hate crimes.
No one thinks that direct racial conflict No one thinks that direct racial conflict
is one of the biggest problems in the country
unless they’ve been told by the media that it is.
Uh, why are we talking about statistics?
This is not a matter of statistics.
Well, you asked me about the statistics.
Every week practically,
we hear another story about
someone reporting a hate crime.
Let’s say, they find a noose.
Uh, they found a racist note on a receipt.
So, saying there’s a hate crime every week
is absolutely meaningless.
If you really wanted to solve crime, If you really wanted to solve crime,
you’d talk about Black-on-Black crime,
you’d talk about addiction in poor white communities.
You’d talk about almost anything
but what the major media seems intent on focusing on.
Most of those stories turn out to be complete fakes.
It seems like the real conversation to have
would be about something like hysteria
and neuroticism among Americans.
It becomes an opportunity for a conversation
about race in America.
And we can always use more of that.
I absolutely disagree…
With what part?
That we can… I disagree with all of that. That we can… I disagree with all of that.
Have you heard yet that I’m a certified DEI expert?
Here’s my certification.
“DiversityInclusion Training.com.
“Making compliance fast, easy, and painless.”
You don’t need to read that much.
Just… Yeah, give it back.
I… I don’t know…
something…
That’s not the point.
The demand for racism in society right now
greatly outweighs the supply.
We’ve attached a sort of value to being a victim.
People report these crimes
because they know the response will be immediate.
It will be sensationalistic. It will be very supportive. It will be sensationalistic. It will be very supportive.
Why would Jussie Smollett say what he did?
The entire thing was complete nonsense,
and I think most serious people
knew this from the beginning.
If it was such an obvious hoax, then why…
why didn’t we hear it from the media?
From, uh, Kamala Harris, all the late night talk shows.
The question is not, why would they ever
say something that’s not true?
It’s, sort of, why do we believe?
Because this had a major national impact.
This itself impacted race relations
by a couple of points.
[TENSE MUSIC PLAYING] [TENSE MUSIC PLAYING]
MATT: Despite what the statistics say,
this country isn’t safe for people of color.
I’ve heard it over and over.
If only I could walk in their shoes,
then I’d really know what they go through.
Looks cold out there.
WOMAN ON TV: It’s two o’clock in the morning.
MATT: Man, I’m hungry.
WOMAN: You’re going to Subway.
MATT: Where can I get food at this hour?
SMOLLETT ON TV: Subway is open 24 hours.
Like, people kill me when they say things like that.
Because it’s like, Subway is open 24 hours for a reason. Because it’s like, Subway is open 24 hours for a reason.
So that when you hungry at night
and you ain’t got no food, you go to Subway.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING]
WOMAN: What happened that night, Jussie?
I went to the Subway and got the order.
You have to understand also that it’s Chicago. In winter. You have to understand also that it’s Chicago. In winter.
[SIRENS WAILING DISTANTLY]
[MUSIC TURNS TENSE]
I, uh, heard as I was crossing the intersection, I, uh, heard as I was crossing the intersection,
I heard, “Empire.”
MAN: Daily Wire.
And I don’t answer to “Empire.” [CHUCKLES]
My name ain’t Empire. Uh…
And I didn’t answer.
I kept walking, and then I heard,
“[BLEEP] Empire… [BLEEP]”
So I turned around, and I said…
“The [BLEEP] did you just say to me?
And I see…
the uh, attacker.
Uh, masked.
…that I had said that they were wearing
MAGA hats, I never said that. MAGA hats, I never said that.
And… he said,
-” This MAGA country, [BLEEP].”
This MAGA country, [BLEEP].
Punches me right in the face.
[GROANS]
So I punched his ass back.
[SOFT PUNCH]
Hmm?
And then, um, we started tussling,
you know, it was very icy.
Fighting, fighting, fighting. There was a second person
involved, who was kicking me in my back.
[GRUNTING]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]
And then I… I smelled bleach.
I know the smell of bleach.
MAN: Hit him with the bleach! Hit him with the bleach!
Then it just stopped.
And…
they ran off.
[DRAMATIC CHORD PLAYS]
And I… Then I looked down, and I see
that there’s a rope around my neck.
You hadn’t noticed it before…
No. ‘Cause it was so fast.
I noticed the rope around my neck,
and I started screaming.
And I said, “There’s a [BLEEP] rope around my neck. And I said, “There’s a [BLEEP] rope around my neck.
If the attackers are never found,
how will you be able to heal?
[TENSE MUSIC BUILDS]
Um…
I don’t know.
Let’s just hope that they are. [BREATH TREMBLES]
You know what I’m saying?
Like, let’s… let’s not go there yet.
[GROANS]
[SIRENS WAILING DISTANTLY]
[GROANS]
MATT: On second thought,
I don’t really feel like Subway. I don’t really feel like Subway.
Hi, Robin.
[SOLEMN MUSIC PLAYS]
Robin DiAngelo.
It’s an honor.
It’s an honor to meet you.
It… [SIGHS] Damn it.
It’s nice to meet you, Robin DiAngelo.
Dr. Robin DiAngelo.
Is there a, uh, Mr. DiAngelo?
Asking for a friend.
Someone of your esteemed…
Stupid.
Robin. Would you sign my book?
Your book. Would you sign my book I have of yours? Your book. Would you sign my book I have of yours?
I’m pleading with you to sign my…
Please, would you sign my book?
“To your friend, uh, Matt.”
[SIGHS] Okay.
This is it.
Don’t screw this up.
Don’t mess this up.
[EXHALES DEEPLY]
Let’s do the work.
[INTRIGUING MUSIC PLAYS]
[CASH REGISTER DINGS]
Hi, Robin.
DIANGELO: Hi.
And what’s your name? [CHUCKLES]
I’m Matt.
Matt. Hi, Matt. [CHUCKLES]
Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you.
I just had to ask who you are because
you have to be careful. [CHUCKLES]
You can never be too careful.
Let’s… Let’s start with the book.
One of the most important books of the past century,
I would say, for my money, White Fragility.
Uh, you’ve been in this field for a long time.
You’ve done a lot.
What sort of organizations have you, uh, worked with?
Do you want me to name?
Oh, sure. I mean…
Should I name it? I…
Okay. Well, but I don’t want to be held responsible
for what they do. [LAUGHS] for what they do. [LAUGHS]
Netflix.
Google. Amazon. Snapchat.
And what do you do for them?
Sometimes it’s a workshop, or it’s interactive.
Maybe it would take place over several hours or a day.
Let’s start with some definitions.
And probably the biggest one to define is racism.
Well, if you’re talking about a white person,
and you say this person is racist,
you’re basically, to me, saying this person
is a product of their society. [CHUCKLES]
Is it possible for a white person
to be not racist? to be not racist?
I think, in a given moment, we can be more or less racist.
We’re… And so I think of it
more as a continuum than an either-or.
Is there any way to get rid of, uh, white privilege?
If an individual says,
“I don’t want to have this privilege, it feels unfair.”
Is there any way for a man to say,
“I don’t want this privilege”? I mean, we live in patriarchy.
And you can’t just opt out.
You can do your best to challenge it.
That, in a way, is opting out.
That confuses me too,
because I don’t want to mansplain
or whitesplain…
Yeah. Well, okay.
or whitesplain…
Yeah. Well, okay.
What is… Maybe that’s important.
Yeah.
Segue. What is “mansplain”?
Well, it would be you explaining to me
either why what you just did wasn’t sexism?
Or explaining…
I don’t think that’s what it is.
I think “mansplain” is to make an assumption.
To say something in an assuming way.
You talked about the problem of, uh…
of over-smiling…
[CHUCKLES]
…which
really resonated with me.
Sometimes smiling at a Black person Sometimes smiling at a Black person
can… can be racist.
It’s a reminder. You know, those thousand daily cuts.
It’s a reminder of your position
in relation to that other person, right?
Because that person likely knows
why I’m smiling at them.
[CHUCKLES] When I go to the grocery store,
I don’t really look at anybody,
I just do my thing, but I see a Black person,
I… I feel almost an uncontrollable
sense of urgency to signal to them
that I’m okay, and that I’m not racist, that I’m okay, and that I’m not racist,
and that they’re welcome.
Is it the right strategy to be…
for a white person to say,
“Well, hey, I’m just going to operate
“in this situation as a normal person.
“I’m not gonna think about race.
“I’m not gonna notice.” Just see people
as human beings. Is that the way it works?
Yeah, no. First of all, you do see them as a Black person.
You do. I mean, I’m not gonna pretend
I don’t notice that there’s a Black person
in the grocery store.
So we want to notice race,
but not… not too much.
We want to be honest that we do.
We do notice race.
We don’t notice it. Don’t focus on it. We don’t notice it. Don’t focus on it.
Yeah. Okay.
But think about it.
But…
I mean, you notice it.
Focus on it a little bit, but not too much.
Yeah. You know, there’s a… It’s a balance, right?
‘Cause I hear “forget that I’m Black.
“Don’t forget that I’m Black.
“Notice. Don’t notice.
“Don’t deny that you’re racist.
“But also try not to be racist.
“But don’t… But also don’t realize that you…”
[CHUCKLES]
It makes me…
Yeah.
It makes me, uh…
I’m sorry. I…
It’s okay.
It just…
It’s okay.
It just…
It makes me feel overwhelmed.
Yeah. Yeah.
[SNIFFLES]
Just take your time.
I know you work on this in your seminars.
People, uh, workshopping actual real-life scenarios.
So would you mind, kind of a role play where…
Okay.
…I will, in this scenario,
be the person of color who’s bringing concern to you,
and then you’ll show how to navigate that?
Sure. Sure.
Okay. So, workplace scenario.
Hi, Robin.
Hi.
I noticed, uh, you passed by me in the hall
earlier today
and you were really overdoing the smile,
and it made me feel, um,
patronized and it felt racist.
And…
I’m thinking about going to HR about it.
Well, I appreciate you letting me know,
and I imagine that’s not without its risks. and I imagine that’s not without its risks.
I certainly would not have intended
to have that impact on you, but I’m very clear
that I did have that impact on you.
I would love to offer you a repair,
if… if that’s something you’re ready for.
I don’t want to talk about it right now.
Okay.
Because I’m too… I’m hurt.
Okay. Understood.
Um, if that changes, let me know.
When I’m ready to talk, I’ll talk to you.
Yeah. Understood.
What I would like to do, could we…
Let’s fast-forward to another day.
Next day.
Okay.
Hi, Robin. Hi, Robin.
Passed by in the hall again and…
this time, you didn’t even smile at all at me…
Okay.
…and it made me feel
otherized, excluded, marginalized, um…
vaporized…
Now I’m really thinking about going to HR.
I don’t feel comfortable…
Yeah.
…with you in this workplace with me.
Okay. And yesterday,
we had the over-smiling incident.
Yeah. Now it’s under.
Okay.
It’s under-smiling.
I would say, um,
“I’m a little bit… I’m a little bit, um,
“confused about how best to proceed.
“I can’t deny that I am, um…
“Would you be willing to give me some guidance…”
I don’t think it’s up to me
to educate you.
Understood.
Is there anyone you trust, uh, that I can talk to?
Maybe another white person whose understanding…
At this point, I think
we should take separate hallways.
Okay.
So…
Understood.
That was a very nuanced, uh, situation.
Yeah, uh, I did my best. [LAUGHS]
Probably what I would do in that situation.
The very last thing that I want to do,
and, uh, it doesn’t even feel right to me
to end this conversation,
uh, especially when there are people of color
in the room.
Okay.
Ben, if you’re willing
to come and sit with us for just a moment.
BEN: Sure.
Um…
So is Ben…
Yeah. This is Ben, uh, producer on the film.
And, um…
I thought it would be a powerful opportunity to
speak directly to a person of color and
confront our racism and also apologize for
the white supremacist systems that oppress Ben,
so do you want to go first?
Well, on behalf of myself and my fellow white people,
I apologize.
Uh, it is not you, it is us.
As long as I’m standing, I will do my best As long as I’m standing, I will do my best
to challenge it.
I want to pay you reparations right now.
Um, will you accept?
I… I won’t turn it down.
Okay. I don’t know…
um…
is 20… well…
This is all I have. Um…
I, uh…
I know that’s not…
Um…
MATT: That’s not gonna…
That doesn’t make up for 400 years of oppression,
but, um, it’s all that I have to give.
Um…
I… I don’t know if it’s ever enough.
Uh, but what I can say is I appreciate the fact
that you’re putting in the work.
Um, you know, I… I think you’re right.
I don’t think… I don’t think it’ll ever end.
But, uh, there is…
there is small progress I think we made today.
MATT: Um…
Did you… Did you want to…
That… [CHUCKLES]
…pay any, uh…
That was really weird. [LAUGHS NERVOUSLY]
Why was it weird?
Uh… Uh, ’cause it seemed really weird to me.
Why?
Um, because you just took out your wallet,
and I don’t know, it…
‘Cause I think reparations is like a…
a systemic, um…
dynamic and approach and so, I mean, I think that
there may be some people who would be offended by, uh… there may be some people who would be offended by, uh…
Clearly, you were not offended by that.
I… I won’t turn down cash.
Um… [CHUCKLES]
ROBIN: Hmm.
I think, are we gonna…
Are we gonna allow ourselves to be uncomfortable and…
and just do what we can personally,
or we gonna sit around,
waiting for the system to catch up?
Yeah. They go together, right?
Yeah. But this… this is something
that I can do right now.
Why wouldn’t I do it? Why wouldn’t I do it?
Well, clearly, I mean, you did it,
and he… he was comfortable with it.
I just, it seems like it’s…
uh, not a systemic approach.
Or it just seemed…
It’s not.
‘Cause I’m not waiting for the system.
I’m acting as an individual.
ROBIN: Yeah.
I can go get some cash, for sure.
In my… Yeah.
If that’s something you… you think…
Yeah. I don’t mind.
Um…
If that would be something If that would be something
that would be comfortable for you.
Yeah.
Okay. Cool. [CHUCKLES]
[CASH NOTES RUSTLING]
That’s all the cash I have.
BEN: Oh, well, you know.
I don’t usually carry cash.
Thanks.
You’re welcome!
MATT: Um…
This is powerful to me. I thank you for… This is powerful to me. I thank you for…
BEN: Sure.
[EXHALES] …for doing that.
Well, the last thing is, will you sign my book?
Oh, of course.
If you don’t mind.
I’m definitely gonna process that.
[CHUCKLES SOFTLY]
MATT: The student has become the teacher.
My moment has finally arrived.
[UPLIFTING MUSIC PLAYING]
It’s time to show other white people
how to do the work.
And make a little money in the process. And make a little money in the process.
I’m taking everything I’ve learned
on my anti-racist journey
and turning it into my own online DEI course.
Now anybody can earn their own DEI certificate.
And I’ve already made $3,248.
But for a more in-depth approach,
I’m rolling out an in-person workshop.
I’m calling it the Do the Work! Workshop.
With the purpose of providing practical and innovative,
long-lasting solutions
to promote equality in our society,
Do the Work! Workshop was born.
Our next guest offers a bold and uncompromising workshop Our next guest offers a bold and uncompromising workshop
that aims to bring lasting change.
So what you’re doing is you’re stretching,
you’re stretching,
and this is more for you and less for you.
You’re stretching up like this,
and you’re stretching out.
Mm-hmm.
What you’re doing is you’re stretching
out of your whiteness.
Okay, so you’re decentering your whiteness.
You’re stretching out of your whiteness.
And you’re bringing those
other experiences into yourself.
What exactly does it mean
to do the work with Do the Work! Workshop?
What does it mean to you to do the work?
There’s a reason we say “do the work.” There’s a reason we say “do the work.”
And it is a work that you have to do.
It’s right there in the name.
You know, what is the work?
It’s the work that we’re doing.
It’s about the doing, and it’s also about the work.
What is to do? It is to do the thing.
We might also use the analogy,
another one I like, of raking leaves.
Uh, the leaves of racism are falling.
We’re raking them, they keep falling.
We rake them.
Uh, but you don’t get to a point where you say,
“Well, I’m done with the leaves.”
Then you have leaves all over the yard.
How can somebody get involved
if they’re watching this right now?
Where can people get ahold of you
and see you for your next workshop? and see you for your next workshop?
We’re doing the work as we speak.
The workshop is happening
this fall if you would like to sign up.
You don’t need to bring anything with you
but an open mind.
We’re not letting anyone in who doesn’t have an open mind.
Uh, also, there’s a fee, of course, uh, as well.
That’s described in the…
on the website but, you know,
the open mind is the main thing.
Matt, the certified DEI.
Thank you so much for being here.
Thank you so much.
Finding white people willing to do the work
isn’t exactly easy.
So I also advertised my workshop on craigslist So I also advertised my workshop on craigslist
which, as we know, is the best place
for finding white people who are willing to do
just about anything.
[LIGHT APPLAUSE]
[WHIMSICAL MUSIC PLAYS]
Who’s ready to do the work? Anybody?
I know I am.
Welcome to the Do the Work! Workshop.
Thank you all for being here.
Listen, let’s get the credentials
out of the way upfront.
Um, I am a certified
diversity, equity, and inclusion expert.
Um, I have the card and all that,
but I keep the card in the back pocket but I keep the card in the back pocket
for this because I’m just a person on a journey,
just like many of you.
But by the end of the nine steps,
you’re gonna start to feel more like an anti-racist ally.
That ultimately is our goal here.
Let’s dive in right away with step one.
And here’s what we reflect
both externally and internally.
It’s all about adopting an appropriate,
uh, attitude of humility,
and also realizing that racism lurks,
uh, many places in society we don’t expect it.
This may seem a little strange.
So I look around the room and point to
who we believe, just by looking,
is the most racist person in the room.
If you could point.
I’m out, guys.
Appreciate y’all.
WOMAN: Yeah.
MAN: Have a lovely day.
Thank you.
I appreciate it, but this is definitely not my…
That’s uncomfortable.
[WHIMSICAL MUSIC PLAYING]
This is where I’m pointing.
‘Cause why don’t we think about pointing at ourselves?
Why would we rather get up and leave the room?
Let’s go to step two.
This is a pretty simple, basic anti-racism concept.
Racism is non-binary. What does that mean?
It means racism is on a spectrum.
What does that mean? It means that racism is fluid.
You might move up or down.
So you might say, “Well,
“I’m kind of a three on the racism scale.”
Uh, but there may be moments when you’re a six,
when you’re a nine, God forbid.
You all have numbers on your desks,
and those are magnetized.
Where do you think that you are
on this scale right now?
Wherever you would judge yourself.
[WHIMSICAL MUSIC PLAYING] [WHIMSICAL MUSIC PLAYING]
Hmm.
So, everybody wants to be…
obviously, we’ve got a little bit of a traffic jam
over at zero, one, two.
Let’s just keep that, we’ll keep that up there.
We’re gonna keep that in mind as we move on.
Now, next we move on to what this whole workshop
is really about, which is uncomfortable conversations.
Because until we’re willing to talk about these things,
um, healing can’t really begin. um, healing can’t really begin.
So I want you to think back
to a racist moment in your life.
Just something that you remember
you did or said.
You wish you could take it back.
But how does the healing start
if we’re not willing to admit and talk about it?
I’ll give you a racist moment of mine
from two months ago.
And I’ll tell you exactly what happened.
I was at a traffic light,
in my car,
I see a Black man, man of color,
appears to be walking up to my car.
What’d I do, I check to make sure
the doors are locked.
And immediately I thought,
I hope he didn’t hear that little click sound.
Why did I do that?
I thought he might be trying to carjack me.
Unconscious bias.
Now, in this case, the guy behind me did get carjacked.
But does that mean
that the assumption was fair?
Anybody else would like to share?
Number eight? Racist moment.
When I was getting my license when I was 16,
I was in the DMV, and I was really stressed out.
It was, like, a terrible day. It was, like, a terrible day.
Despacito was a song playing on the radio,
and I was just, like, so annoyed by it.
I was like, “Oh my God, I’ve heard this song
“so many times,” and I just sort of, like, blurted out,
and I was like, “Oh God, like,
“can you please turn off the song?”
The guy at the DMV was a Puerto Rico guy,
and he just got really, like,
offended by it, and I was like,
“I’m so sorry, like, I really didn’t mean that.
“I just kind of yelled at the song
“just ’cause I was feeling bad inside,
“but it just came off really bad.”
And I still feel bad about that every day.
It was racist.
We’re not here to lie to ourselves. We’re not here to lie to ourselves.
Now things are getting heated up.
Now we move on to step six.
Over-smiling.
When you’re in a room with a Black person
or person of color, there’s this compulsion
that people have to smile too much.
You’re overcompensating.
I like to put words into action,
so Ben, if you wouldn’t mind. Ben.
Uh, let’s… for Ben here. Thank you.
Thanks, Ben. Now, Ben is going to stand here, and
let’s try to look at Ben
in the least racist way that we know how.
[WHIMSICAL MUSIC PLAYING] [WHIMSICAL MUSIC PLAYING]
Well, number two, you’re not even looking at him.
I think he’s not looking at us, so it’s kind of awkward
to look at someone like they’re a specimen.
If that makes sense.
Like the… the exercise itself
is a little awkward, and…
It’s not his job as a Black man
to make us feel comfortable in this moment.
That’s not what I was saying though.
[WHIMSICAL MUSIC PLAYING]
Hmm.
Thanks, Ben.
Now we’re gonna really take the gloves off.
This is where things get real.
White silence.
White silence is when we remain silent
in the face of bigotry and racism.
Now, what we like to tell ourselves is that
as long as I’m not using the N-word, okay? as long as I’m not using the N-word, okay?
As long as I’m not voting for Donald Trump,
I’m not racist.
By not taking action in the face of racism,
we are participating in that racism.
But here’s the good news,
it’s never too late to break the white silence
and speak up against racism.
Things are gonna really get uncomfortable now
especially for me.
Because what I want to do is lead by example.
My uncle Frank is here today.
Come on, bring my uncle Frank out. Come on, bring my uncle Frank out.
[WHEELS SQUEAKING]
Thank you, Ben.
[LIGHT APPLAUSE]
Uncle Frank.
It was 20 years ago
that you sat at the dinner table with us,
and not a day has gone by
that I haven’t thought about this.
You sat at that dinner table,
and you made what you said was a…
“joke.”
You asked the question, what’s the difference
between a Mexican man and a picnic table?
And the answer was,
a picnic table can support a family of five.
You’re still laughing.
We all laughed at the table.
I laughed.
But I was scared and confused.
And I was a coward.
But I’m not gonna be a coward anymore, uncle Frank. But I’m not gonna be a coward anymore, uncle Frank.
You had no right to make that joke!
Latinx Americans, they come to this country
and they work hard!
And your little joke dehumanizes.
It is not funny!
Uncle Frank,
it is not funny to mock marginalized people!
It’s not a joke!
It’s not funny…
Uncle Frank.
Okay. Who wants to go next?
Does anybody have some words for Uncle Frank?
We’re breaking the white silence here today.
Uh, number six, you’re of Hispanic descent.
What are your thoughts?
Mm, I have a lot of thoughts,
but I just feel like it would be wasted on him.
But I do have one thing to say.
If… With your permission.
[BLEEP] you.
Yeah, man. [BLEEP] you.
MATT: Mm.
I don’t talk to anyone in my family
because they’re all [BLEEP] racist white pieces of trash
in a lot of different ways,
but the racism is the biggest reason.
I have cut off every person in my life,
including my mother and father,
grandparents, everything. I do not give a [BLEEP].
Powerful.
The message, it’s clear.
Okay, Ben.
Uh, if you wouldn’t mind.
[LIGHT APPLAUSE]
Thanks, Uncle Frank.
See you this weekend.
All right. Emotions are high,
and this is where we finally get to step nine.
We have to ask ourselves, are we ready for
the healing pain?
Now,
this is when we get to the self-flagellation portion,
which is the final step.
ATTENDEE: Wow.
Would you mind taking a whip?
Thank you. Thank you.
MAN 1: What is…
MAN 2: Dude, this is ridiculous.
I’m outta here. You’re nuts.
WOMAN: [LAUGHS] Me too.
I can’t do this.
Um…
MAN 2: I tried, man. I tried. I’m seriously done.
MATT: I said it was gonna be uncomfortable.
[DOOR SHUTS]
Why weren’t they willing to whip themselves?
Wait. Why were these people willing to whip themselves?
None of this feels right.
Um…
[MATT SNIFFS]
Hang on.
This is probably too far.
[SOLEMN MUSIC PLAYS]
Okay, the workshop’s over. [FUMBLES] It’s over.
That was… That’s step nine, so…
Yeah, it’s over. Seriously.
Yep. Thanks. Okay.
[CASH REGISTER DINGS]
What am I doing?
What have I become?
Am I making the world better
or am I just profiting on people’s racial guilt?
This is all wrong.
I followed the anti-racist playbook,
and it led to disaster.
[UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING]
All across America,
many companies have implemented a division
of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
And it’s important to have this in the workplace
no matter how big or small the organization may be.
Joining us this morning is Matt,
a certified diversity, equity, and inclusion expert.
Good morning.
Morning.
Tell us about your journey.
It hasn’t been great, honestly. Um… It hasn’t been great, honestly. Um…
Yeah.
And what led you to host this workshop?
Why is this an important initiative, and how did you go about putting the workshop together?
We just did a workshop, uh, you know, it didn’t go well. Honestly, I’d…
It…
I think it’s doing more harm than good.
This whole thing’s a scam, I don’t know. This whole thing’s a scam, I don’t know.
So when we think about diversity, equity, and inclusion, as we mentioned, there are, um, keys to what an organization should focus on.
So what would you say is, uh, the key for the learning that we may want to be doing?
Even if we’re not quite there yet, right?
Just, uh…
Just go live your life.
I gotta go.
[SOMBER ELECTRO-ROCK MUSIC PLAYING]
[MUSIC ENDS]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING]
Black, right?
Yeah. Thanks.
Haven’t seen you around here in a while.
Yeah. I been out doing the work.
Huh? Huh?
Been doing the work.
What does that mean?
[SIGHS] Well…
[CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYS]
White Fragility is a really great place to start.
BYRD: The reason we cannot be colorblind now, we’re still working on the problem.
I’m not going to pretend I don’t notice that there’s a Black person in the grocery store.
DEI certified. I’m here to help.
We live in a white supremacist society.
Whiteness is even more insidious than I even knew.
The only thing about white culture is buying things and stealing things.
And whiteness also robs you of your brain. And whiteness also robs you of your brain.
America is racist to its bones.
Um…
It has to burn.
The entire system has to burn.
“Why are you blaming me for what my ancestors did?
“It’s not my fault.”
We want to rename the George Washington Monument.
This country is a piece of shit.
[PLATES CRASH]
Love is also not always patient and kind.
It’s not that much different than Nazi doctors.
Republicans are Nazis.
Kindness is not what is called for.
It’s not funny, Uncle Frank!
[BLEEP] you.
I can go get some cash, for sure.
Raise a glass if you’re racist.
[LAUGHING] [LAUGHING]
[MUSIC STOPS]
Okay.
Let me know if you need anything else.
You know, this experience has really taught me something.
The anti-racist industry says that America is racist down to its bones.
And if that were true, there wouldn’t be anything we could do about it.
White people could only wallow in their guilt, and Black people in their victimhood…
[SENTIMENTAL MUSIC PLAYING]
But it’s a lie. But it’s a lie.
It’s a lie meant to manipulate us.
Look, we’ll never live in a utopia.
We all know that.
But we don’t have to be held hostage by these race-baiting con artists who want us to be bitter and angry and resentful.
They’re selling us the disease.
They’re telling us there’s no cure.
They don’t say that I’m racist, and you’re a victim, because that’s what they think we are.
They tell us that because that’s what they want us to be.
Well, it’s time for us to say no.
[SENTIMENTAL MUSIC CONTINUES]
[PEOPLE CHEERING]
Yeah! Yeah! [LAUGHING]
[MUSIC STOPS]
[UTENSILS CLACKING] [UTENSILS CLACKING]
Well, bless your heart.
[CHUCKLES] I got a lot of tables.
[WHIMSICAL MUSIC PLAYING]
Hey. You wanna hear a joke?
[DIALOGUE MUTED]
[AM I RACIST? BY BRYSON GRAY PLAYS]
[RAPPING] ♪ I wanna know, am I racist? ♪
♪ Am I racist? ♪
♪ Why do you judge by the color of our faces? ♪
♪ Why do you judge by the color of our faces? ♪
♪ Is racial division just a plan by the matrix? ♪
♪ They burn down our cities ♪
♪ Then they get called courageous ♪
♪ Instead of condemning, the media give ’em praises ♪
♪ Oh, man, what is the benefit? ♪
♪ When the media ruin our images ♪
♪ If you a white male, you get called a white supremacist ♪
♪ If your opinion and the narrative have differences ♪
♪ Couple that in with all the censorship ♪
♪ And the damage they can do is limitless ♪
♪ No Brad Cooper but celebrities defendin’ it ♪
♪ Oh, man, they gon’ say I’m racist ♪
♪ Oh, man, they gon’ say I’m racist ♪
♪ But they call everybody racist ♪
♪ I guess that mean nobody is racist ♪
♪ Now it doesn’t mean much when you say it ♪
♪ When you say it They gon’ say you racist ♪
♪ But they call everybody racist ♪
♪ I guess that mean nobody is racist ♪
♪ Now it doesn’t mean much when you say it ♪
♪ They make you think that there’s no way you can win ♪
♪ Another news clip, here we go again ♪
♪ Judgin’ somebody by the color of their skin ♪
♪ Meanwhile, it’s all comin’ to an end ♪
♪ They ask why, and I just tell ’em, listen ♪
♪ Are you mad because we don’t think you a victim ♪
♪ You made bad choices, then you blame it on the system ♪
♪ Nowadays bein’ white means you can’t have an opinion ♪
♪ Especially if you Christian ♪
♪ Tell me, is it racist to not want our cities ♪
♪ Burned down by these mobs ♪
♪ To not want our stores always gettin’ robbed ♪
♪ Is it racist to treat our race like it’s a god ♪
♪ Oh, man, they gon’ say I’m racist ♪
♪ But they call everybody racist ♪
♪ I guess that mean nobody is racist ♪
♪ Now it doesn’t mean much when you say it ♪
♪ When you say it They gon’ say you racist ♪
♪ When you say it They gon’ say you racist ♪
♪ But they call everybody racist ♪
♪ I guess that mean nobody is racist ♪
♪ Now it doesn’t mean much when you say it ♪
♪ When you say it ♪
CHOIR: [SINGING] ♪ Will you set us free ♪
♪ From these chains, these chains ♪
♪ Will you set us free ♪
♪ Lord, set us free ♪
♪ Sing! ♪
♪ From these chains, these chains ♪
♪ Will you set us free ♪
♪ No! Sing! ♪
♪ Set us free ♪
BRYSON: [RAPPING] ♪ They gon’ say I’m racist ♪
BRYSON: [RAPPING] ♪ They gon’ say I’m racist ♪
♪ But they call everybody racist ♪
♪ I guess that mean nobody is racist ♪
♪ Now it doesn’t mean much when you say it ♪
♪ When you say it They gon’ say you racist ♪
♪ But they call everybody racist ♪
♪ I guess that mean nobody is racist ♪
♪ Now it doesn’t mean much when you say it ♪
♪ When you say it They gon’ say I’m racist ♪
♪ But they call everybody racist ♪
♪ I guess that mean nobody is racist ♪
♪ Now it doesn’t mean much when you say it ♪
♪ One more time They gon’ say you racist ♪ ♪ One more time They gon’ say you racist ♪
♪ But they call everybody racist ♪
♪ I guess that mean nobody is racist ♪
♪ Now it doesn’t mean much when you say it ♪
♪ When you say it When you say it ♪
[SINGING] ♪ Will you set us free? ♪
♪ Whoo! ♪
♪ Set us free ♪
[SONG ENDS]
[LINE RINGING]
WOMAN: Thank you for calling the Boulder Bookstore.
How can I help you?
Hi. I was just in the other day, Hi. I was just in the other day,
and I saw a certain book that, uh,
I wasn’t ready to read at the time,
but I think I’m ready. I wanted to see if you guys
still have it in stock.
Yeah, what was the title?
Uh, it starts… So it starts with an “N.”
Um…
I don’t remember the…
I don’t remember the author.
Um…
It… It’s…
You don’t know the title of the book either?
Well, it… it’s, uh…
‘Cause it got… It’s kind of…
It starts with an “N” and there’s kind of, uh… It starts with an “N” and there’s kind of, uh…
Well, there’s…
It’s like there’s… there’s a vowel, there’s consonants, there’s a vowel. Um…
It… It’s one word.
I really… I don’t know how to look it up without the title or the author.
Well, it’s got kind of… So it starts with an “N.”
And then it’s got kind of, sort of, it’s got an “I,” uh, there, it… it’s…
I guess… I mean, we’ve got thousands of books, so I don’t really know how to look it up with just knowing the two… first two letters.
It’s “N-I…” So it’s like an “N-I…” It’s “N-I…” So it’s like an “N-I…”
There’s the… It’s a “G…” is in there, and there’s another one.
Let me put you on a brief hold and go check.
[HOLD MUSIC PLAYING]
[SNIFFS]
Thanks for holding. Um, I’m not seeing anything.
I mean, maybe try to think of the title if you can and call back?
Well, it’s…
Sorry, sorry. I… I know the title.
I just can’t… I can’t say the title. I just can’t… I can’t say the title.
And I…
Okay.
I don’t know. I don’t think you can say it either, so I don’t…
It’s a very… It’s a triggering title.
Uh, it actually rhymes with “trigger,” actually, and, uh, so… but that’s what I was wondering, if it was there.
Um, I mean, I didn’t see it when I just went and looked.
Okay. But you know what I’m talking about?
Yeah.
It… It’s that book.
Yeah.
MATT: Okay.
WOMAN: Okay. Have a good day.
[RECEIVER CLICKS]
WOMAN: Okay. Have a good day.
[RECEIVER CLICKS]