National Public Radio highlighted commentary by Jody Armour of the USC Gould School in a story on the problems of people calling the police unnecessarily in racially charged situations. “You have an alarming tendency of white people starting to use 911 as their kind of customer service line when they have any friction with a black person,” said Armour. NPR posted the transcript of the radio story as a separate article here.
“I lost an arm on my last trip home.
My left arm.”
The iconic first line of Octavia Butler’s novel, Kindred, puts the reader right there. The gravity of the legacy of slavery is there in the face. Who has lost an arm? How? Why?
Listen as host Jeffery Jenkins and guests Ange-Marie Alfaro, Caroline Bhalla, and Aubrey Hicks as they think about this classic work of American fiction.
To listen to the Bedrosian Book Club discussion of the “Kindred” episode click the arrow in the player on this post. Or you can download it and subscribe through ApplePodcasts, Soundcloud, Google Play, Stitcher or your favorite podcasting app!
Speaking to cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado, USC Price School of Public Policy Professor Erroll Southers let them know that, even though they are intelligent students demonstrating a commitment to being the next generation of American leaders, they are also prime targets for recruitment by homegrown violent extremist organizations.
Southers, who directs the Safe Communities Institute and Homegrown Violent Extremism Studies at USC Price, was one of three experts asked to speak at the March 20 briefing in Washington, D.C., that examined an FBI intelligence assessment released last August titled, “Black Identity Extremists Likely Motivated to Target Law Enforcement Officers.”
Strong female characters ground Mudbound as it tells of the challenges returning soldiers with different world views as they return to family and a small Mississippi community that hasn’t weathered the storms and triumphs they have seen half a world away. A spoilery conversation on this ensemble film about war at home and abroad.
To listen to the Price Projection Room discussion of Mudboundclick the arrow in the player on this post. Or download and subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, or Google Play.
USC Price Dean Jack H. Knott was joined by Bedrosian Faculty Affiliates Lisa Schweitzer and Erroll Southers (director of the Safe Communities Institute), in a discussion of the policy implications and responses to racism and extremism after the violence triggered by a white-nationalist rally in the Charlottesville, Virginia last month.
“White supremacy is not a historical construct we get to walk away from. We have to really interrogate how white supremacy informs public policies within the structures of our cities, within education and politics,” said Lisa Schweitzer. Erroll Southers indicated that he considered Charlottesville a pivotal moment for extremism in the country.
To some, it represents the highest ideals of our society. To others, it is a symbol of unfulfilled potential at best, outright oppression at worst. Are we referring to the American flag? Or to American sports? This debate is about more than one athlete or one gesture. It is about an institution, a system of competition, dominance, and deeply ingrained beliefs. In this episode, we examine this balance of power—and the protestors who are trying to change it. In front of a live audience at the USC Gould School of Law, Prof. Jody David Armour interviews ESPN writer Jason Reid about Colin Kaepernick, political activism, and being black in America.
Special thanks to the USC Gould School of Law for sponsoring this event and allowing us to record as part of this ongoing series of conversations bringing you the smartest minds from the University of Southern California and beyond, wrestling with the defining challenges of our time.
To listen to this episode of Our American Discourse, click the arrow in the player here. Or you can download it and subscribe through ApplePodcasts, Soundcloud, or Google Play.
Get Out follows a young African-American photographer on a visit to his white girlfriend’s parents’ home. The tag line sums up the deep horror of the film, “Just because you’re invited, doesn’t mean you’re welcome.” The film is funny, scary, and has sparked conversations (and even a viral challenge) throughout the country.
Find out what we think …
To listen to the Price Projection Room discussion of Get Out click the arrow in the player on this post. Or you can download it and subscribe through ApplePodcasts, Soundcloud, or Google Play.
In an article about U.S. Attorney General-nominee Jeff Sessions’ confirmation hearing, ATTN: cited comments by Jody Armour of the USC Gould School about the recognition of institutional racism in law enforcement. University of Southern California law professor Jody Armour told ATTN: in August that some people may not want to admit that institutional racism exists or come to terms…
ESPN’s “FiveThirtyEight” quoted Christian Grose of USC Dornsife on why representation at local, state, and federal levels can do much for historically under-represented minorities. Partisan battles aside, political scientists say that in order for the government to pay attention to minority communities, those districts need representatives who are accountable to them. Christian Grose, an associate…