There are many challenging issues to talk about in American society, but those that involve race are among the most charged. For many there is anger, confusion, uncertainty, and a fear of doing harm or being harmed. Rather than participating in a conversation, many people avoid it or come armed for an argument.
The tension around the topic of race suggests that there are still problems that need to be solved. Our guest on the podcast today, Dr. Erec Smith, an Associate Professor of Rhetoric at York College of Pennsylvania, came on the show to talk these challenges and how we can have better conversations about race in this country.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Follow us:
Show Notes:
- Follow Erec’s work at Free Black Thought and keep up with his work on Twitter
- ‘A Rhetoric of Motives,’ Kenneth Burke
- ‘Why I Still Talk to White People About Racism,’ Erec Smith – Newsweek
- ‘Presencing,’ Otto Scharmer
- ‘Racial Realism,’ Derrick Bell
- ‘A Critique of Anti-racism in Rhetoric and Composition: The Semblance of Empowerment,’ Erec Smith
- Erec’s work at Quillette, Areo, Heterodox Academy, Newsweek
About our guest:
Erec Smith is an Associate Professor of Rhetoric at York College of Pennsylvania, co-founder and co-editor of Free Black Thought, a Writing Fellow for Heterodox Academy, and author of the 2020 book, A Critique of Anti-racism in Rhetoric and Composition: The Semblance of Empowerment.