Race Related Interviews --

 

Dr. Francis Adams

Are We Still Racists?

Alienable Rights: The Exclusion of African Americans in a White Man's Land, 1619 to 2000

“Alienable Rights:  The Exclusion of African Americans in a White Man’s Land, 1619 to 2000” is a book in part written by Francis Adams, an independent scholar living in Los Angeles, California.  The book posits that the drive for equal rights for black people in the United States has never had the support of the majority of America.  Rather, racial progress has been made in brief historic bursts, lead by the committed militant minorities of abolitionists, radical republicans, and civil rights activists.  In this program, we visit with Dr. Francis D. Adams.  I asked him to explain the importance of the trial of James Somerset that took place in England in 1772.

Dr. Francis Adams recommends "Collapse," by Jared Diamond.

Originally Broadcast: January 29, 2005

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Dr. Elizabeth Allen

Changes in Segregation Since 1952

In May 1954, the United States Supreme Court, unanimously declared, ”segregation in public education is a denial of the equal protection of the law.”  This is a two-part discussion about the aftermath of that decision.  Our guest is Dr. Elizabeth Allen, a Professor of Nursing at the University of Michigan.  As a high school student, Dr. Allen was one of the first African-American students to integrate West Virginia high schools in 1957.

Dr. Elizabeth Allen recommends "The Price of Loyalty," by David Suskind with former US Secretary of Treasury Paul O'Neil.

Originally Broadcast: May 4, 2004 & May 18, 2004

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Annie Barnes

Racism in America

Everyday Racism: A Book For All Americans

Racism has too long been a part of the American experience.  The Civil War and the Constitutional amendments that followed, the Supreme Court decisions ordering the desegregation of schools, and the Civil Rights movements did not end racism in America.  Annie S. Barnes, holds a Ph.D. in Social Anthropology from the University of Virginia and is a retired Professor of Sociology and Anthropology at Norfolk State University in Virginia.  She is the author of “Everyday Racism, A Book for All Americans,” a book based on the racist experiences suffered by 146 black college students.  Professor Barnes describes effects of racism on black people and what black people and white people can do to combat it.

Annie Barnes recommends "Driving While Black," by Kenneth Meeks.

Originally Broadcast: February 27, 2001

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Robert Benton

The Human Stain

Director of The Human Stain

Robert Benton is the director of “The Human Stain,” which is based on the third novel of Philip Roth’s trilogy describing the turmoil of post-WWII America.  It exposes the life of Coleman Silk, a Professor of Classics at a small New England College, an eminent Jewish intellectual and a devoted husband.  Roth describes Silk as “ensnared by a history he hadn’t quite counted on.”

Originally Broadcast: November 1, 2003

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Dr. Jim Cole

Teaching Tolerance

Filtering People

Prejudices exist in almost every human context, but how do we overcome them and act without stereotypes?  This program’s guest is Dr. Jim Cole, who lives in Ellingsburg, Washington and is a psychologist.  We discussed diversity training – the process of becoming more aware of the prejudices we have.  This program was originally broadcast in November of 1993, when Radio Curious was called Government, Politics and Ideas.

Dr. Jim Cole recommends books by Jane Lovelock.

Originally Broadcast: November 23, 1993

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Jane Dymond

A Juror Speaks

The Eugene “Bear” Lincoln murder trial ended in the fall of 1997 in Ukiah, California, with an acquittal of the defendant, Mr. Lincoln, on charges of first degree and second-degree murder, and with the jury divided ten to two, on acquittal from manslaughter charges.  Apart from the divisive nature of this criminal trial, it also carried a particularly extraordinary aspect.  Seven of the twelve jurors chose to come forward and talk about their responses to what they heard and saw in the courtroom.  Jane Dymond was a member of the Lincoln trial jury.  She attended every session of the trial, and every aspect of the jury’s deliberation.  She is our guest in this edition of Radio Curious.

Jane Dymond recommends "Independent People," by Haldor Locksmith.

Originally Broadcast: October 10, 1997

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Alexandra Fuller

Growing up White in Africa

Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood

Our guest in this program lived in Rhodesia, Malawi and Zambia from 1972 to 1990.  Her father joined up on the side of the white government in the Rhodesian civil war, and was often away fighting against the guerilla factions.  Her mother dove into their African life and its rugged farm work.  Resilient and self-sufficient she taught her children to have strong wills and opinions, and to embrace life whole-heartedly, despite and because of difficult circumstances.  Alexandra Fuller is the author of “Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight, an African Childhood.”

Alexandra Fuller recommends "Echoing Silences," by Alexander Canigone.

Originally Broadcast: September 2, 2003

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Manenima Hilario

Born into the Stone Age

A generally accepted theory about human migration tells us that people crossed the landmass that once connected Siberia to Alaska.  Some of those people continued walking south and many generations later settled on the western edge of the Amazon Basin in South America in what is now eastern Peru.  One of those groups is called Shapibo.  Manenima Hilario, who is now 26 yeas old, was born Shapibo, into his tribe which lived in the Stone Age traditional fashion.  At age 11, he went to secondary school in the Hispanic Amazon jungle town of Pucallpa.  Later, from Lima, Peru he found his way to Taylor, Texas, and on to Sonoma State University, in Northern CA, where he graduated in June of 1997.  Since that time he was enrolled at Stanford University to work on his Ph.D.

Manenima Hilario recommends the biography of General Colin Powell.

Originally Broadcast: January 22, 1997

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Jack Hines

One Corner of Montana

Sweet Grass County: Historic Crossroad

Montana, the Big Sky state, is a place of significant historical interest in the history of North America and the United States.  Sweet Grass County, located in south central Montana, is an area that since pre-historic times has been a justify of trade and historic crossroads of travel.  Jack Hines worked as an artist in New York for 30 years until 1972 when he moved to Sweet Grass County, Montana.  There he began the ”Historic Crossroad” painting and writing project, as a declaration of his love for his adopted home in the exquisite Yellowstone Valley of Montana.  His paintings depict the life in that area beginning in the ice-age, through the times of the Indians, Lewis and Clark, the Fur trade and homesteading and listened to Jack reading from his book, "Sweet Grass County, Historic Crossroad," in Big Timber, Montana.

Jack Hines recommends "Glow Smile, A Biography" & "What Went Wrong," both by Bernard Louis.

Originally Broadcast: June 2, 2003

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Grace Carpenter Hudson & Laura Ferri

The Painter Lady

Grace Carpenter Hudson was known as the painter-lady in her hometown of Ukiah, CA.  She started her career as a painter when she was a teenager in the 1870s.  By the time of her death in 1937, she had produced over 600 canvas paintings and numerous other works.  Her skills focused almost exclusively on the lives and cultures of the Pomo Indians who lived in Mendocino County.  Her husband, Dr. John Hudson, assisted her by making the study of native culture his life’s work, overshadowing his profession as a physician.  Grace Carpenter Hudson was a shrewd businesswoman, as well as an artist of increasing renown.  Most of the family income came from the sale of her artwork.  I spoke with Grace Carpenter Hudson in the person of actress Laura Ferri at the Grace Carpenter Hudson museum in Ukiah, CA, during an exhibition of her work.

Grace Carpenter Hudson recommends "The Age of Innocence," by Edith Morton. Laura Ferri recommends "Stones from the River," by Ursula Hegi.

Originally Broadcast: March 5, 1997

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Randall Kennedy

Can You Say This Word?

Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word

Few words in the English language have caused so much pain, hurt and emotion as the N-word.  Randall Kennedy, a professor of Law at Harvard University, has written a book to chronicle the history of this word and to diffuse and neutralize it.  His book is sub-titled, “The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word.”

Randall Kennedy recommends "The Negro in the American Revolution," by Benjamin Quarles.

Originally Broadcast: March 19, 2002

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Randall Kennedy

Black and White

Interracial Intimacies: Sex, Marriage, Identity, and Adoption

“Interracial Intimacies: Sex, Marriage, Identity, and Adoption,” is a book written by Randall Kennedy, a Harvard University Law School Professor.  He takes an in-depth look at the issue of black and white relationships set against the ever-changing social mores and laws of this country.

Randall Kennedy recommends "The Biography of Walter White," by Robert Janken.

Originally Broadcast: April 15, 2003

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Lynda Koolish, Ph.D.

African American Writers

African American Writers: Portraits and Visions

The voice of a writer can be heard in words, and sometimes seen in the writer’s face.  It is unusual to find both in a book in which the creator is both the author and the photographer.  Lynda Koolish, our guest on this archive edition of Radio Curious, is a professor of African American literature at San Diego State University and an accomplished photographer.  She is the author of a book entitled “African American Writers: Portraits and Visions” in which she reveals the visage of 59 African American writers along with a thumbnail biography and summation of each writer’s vision.

Lynda Koolish, Ph.D. recommends "Dien Cai Dau" and "Neon Vernacular" by Yusef Komunyakaa.

Originally Broadcast: February 19, 2002

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Linda Kremer

The Legal Defense of Jailed Cambodians

Attorney Linda Kremer, a Public Defender in Marin County, California, worked for thirteen months in Phnom Phen, Cambodia, in 1996 and 1997 as Director of the Cambodian Defenders’ Project.  The Cambodian Defenders’ Project recruits and trains Khmer men and women to serve as Public Defenders in the criminal courts of Cambodia.  Cambodian law requires that no person be detained in excess of 48 hours without being charged with a crime or be held without trial from longer than six months.  In practice, these rights are rarely honored.  Without legal defense, those is prison are powerless to request compliance. Other programs you may enjoy are with Daniel Ellsberg discussing the Pentagon Papers and Vietman, and with Wayne Knight, a Mendocino County artist who was also associated with the Cambodian Defenders Project. They both may be found on this website.

Linda Kremer recommends “Spontaneous Healing” & “Natural Healing,” both by Andrew While.

Originally Broadcast: March 26, 1997

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Brooke Kroeger

When People Can't Be Who They Are

Passing: When People Can’t Be Who They Are

“Passing: When People Can’t Be Who They Are,” was written by Brooke Kroeger, an Associate Professor of Journalism at New York University.  Her book reveals why many ‘passers’ today are people of good heart and purpose whose decision to pass is an attempt to bypass injustice and to be more truly themselves.

Brooke Kroeger recommends "Middlesex," Jeffrey Eugendies, "Amerca's Women," by Gail Collings & "They Marched Intro Sunlight," by David Marinis.

Originally Broadcast: February 17, 2004

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Abraham Lincoln & James Getty

The 16th President

In 1995, James A. Getty, who appears in public as Abraham Lincoln, visited Ukiah, California and joined us in the studios of Radio Curious.  In talking with President Lincoln about his life, the events of his time and about his presidency, the conversation focused upon the economics of the mid-19th century.  I asked Mr. Lincoln to give us his opinion about the effect that Eli Whitney’s cotton gin had on the spread of slavery.

Abraham Lincoln and James Getty recommend "Malice Toward None," by Steven Oats.

Originally Broadcast: March 7, 1996

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Joseph Marshall III

The End of a Nation: the Lakota Tribe

The Day the World Ended at Little Bighorn; a Lakota History

Independence unfortunately comes and goes, frequently under the guise of independence for other people.  And independence is today’s topic.  In this two-part Radio Curious interview, recorded on June 29, and broadcasted on July 4 and July 11, 2007, we visit the concept of independence as seen from the Lakota point of view.  The Lakota nation was made up of the largest known group of North American native people and encompassed a large portion of the northern plains in what is now Montana, Wyoming, North and South Dakota.  Our guest is Joseph M. Marshall, III, author if “The Day The World Ended at Little Bighorn, a Lakota History.” Growing up on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation, where his first language was Lakota, Marshall is an historian, storyteller and author whose work shares the history of his people.  I spoke with Joseph Marshall when he visited San Francisco, California.  We began our discussion when I asked him to describe what turned out to be the largest and last gathering of the Lakota people when they met at Little Bighorn in July of 1876.

Joseph Marshall III recommends "The World We Used to Live in: Remembering the Powers of the Medicine Men," by Vine Deloria.

Originally Broadcast: July 4, 2007 and July 11, 2007

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Dr. Victoria Patterson

Native American Life, Before and After Europeans

Cultures that have no written language pass on their histories through oral traditions.  The stories are the way that social values and traditions are taught by one generation to the next.  Animals often play a significant character role in these stories.  In the Native American traditions of the northwest part of California, the coyote is a very popular character.  Dr. Victoria Patterson, an anthropologist based in Ukiah, California, has worked with native peoples for over 30 years.  She knows these stories, and she sees them as windows, allowing us to imagine how original native peoples of northern California thought and lived.  I met with Dr. Victoria Patterson and asked her about the significance of the story where the coyote jumped off into the sky.  Our discussion lead to a two-part program, originally broadcast in February of 1999.

Dr, Victoria Patterson recommends "Deep Valley," by Bernard W. Aginsky and "Under the Tuscan Sun," by Frances Mayes.

Originally Broadcast: February 16, 1999 and February 26, 1999

Click here to begin listening to Part One.

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Pio Pico & Roberto Garza

Meet the Last Mexican Governor of California

In this program, we are going to go back into California history about 150 years, and visit with the last Mexican governor of California, Pio Pico.  Pio Pico was born at the San Gabriel Mission in 1801, of Spanish, Italian, Indian and African ancestry.  Both as a politician and as an entrepreneur, he espoused the views of many native-born Californarios over distant seats of government.  As the last Mexican governor of California, he presided over the secularization of the missions, and turned over their vast land holdings to private hands.  Although he fled California during the American takeover, Pio Pico returned to build the first major hotel in Los Angeles.  Later, he served on the Los Angeles City Council.  I met with Pio Pico in the person of Roberto Garza in February of 1998.

Pio Pico recommends "Pio Pico, A Historical Narrative," by Pio Pico. Roberto Graza recommends "Pio Pico Miscellany," by Martin Cole & "Decline of the Californios," by Leonard Pitt.

Originally Broadcast: February 27, 1998

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Scott Spears

An Experiment in Successful Community Mediation

Stockton, CA, has been called the most diverse community in the world.  Fourteen distinct and primary languages are spoken in the Stockton area elementary schools.  This enormous cultural diversity has, in the past, resulted in automatic rifle fire at a Stockton elementary school.  Scott Spears, a young man who grew up in Ukiah, currently works at the Stockton mediation justify as a trainer and program developer in the schools and as a mediator in the Stockton community.

Originally Broadcast: April 16, 1997

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Orin Starn

Who was Ishi?

Ishi’s Brain: In Search of the Last ‘Wild’ Indian

In 1911, Ishi, the last Stone Age Indian, walked into the community of Oroville, CA, opening an anthropologic window into the lives of native Californians.  In this edition of Radio Curious, we visit with Orin Starn, an anthropologist at Duke University in North Carolina and the author of “Ishi’s Brain: In Search of the Last ‘Wild’ Indian.”

Orin Starn recommends "When the Spirit Catches You, You Fall Down," by Ann Fadiman.

Originally Broadcast: March 9, 2004

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Maria Stewart

Sandra Kamusukiri

A Visit With a Free Black Women - Boston 1840

Maria W. Stewart, as characterized by professor and scholar Sandra Kamusakiri, was a free black woman who lived in Boston, MA, from the 1820s to the early 1840s.  She was the first American born woman to lecture in public on political themes and likely the first African-American to speak out in defense of women’s rights.  A forerunner to Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth, she was intensely religious and regarded as outspoken and controversial during her time. For more than a century, Maria W. Stewart’s life contributions remained obscured, illustrating the double pressures of racism and sexism on the lives African-American women.  I met with Mariah W. Stewart in the person of Professor Sandra Kamusukiri during the 1996 Democracy in America Chautauqua, held in Ukiah, California.

Maria Stewart recommends "The Fair Sketches of Women," by John Adams and "The Bible."

Originally Broadcast: November 27, 1996

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Sam Totten

Genocide in Darfur

Genocide is the intent to exterminate in whole or in part a specific group of people often based on nationality, ethnicity, race or religion.  For the past two years, in the Darfur region of the nation of Sudan, located in north central Africa and populated primarily by black Africans, the Sudanese government has been committing racial genocide.  Reports are that as many as 400,000 black African civilians have been murdered by the Sudanese government together with Arab rebel groups in Darfur.  Professor Sam Totten, a scholar in Genocide Studies at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, visited the Darfur area in the fall of 2004 and has been examining this present day massacre that most of the world has chosen to ignore. I spoke with Professor Totten from his home in Arkansas and asked him to explain the reasons behind the genocide.

www.savedarfur.org

Sam Totten recommends "Shake Hands With the Devil: the Failure of Humanity in Rwanda," by Romeo Dallaire.

Originally Broadcast: June 2, 2005

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