INTERVIEW: Tanner Colby, Some of My Best Friends are Black
Birmingham– Sometimes world events make people look inward. As Barack Obama campaigned his way to the presidency, self-described lily-white writer Tanner Colby began pondering — and then tenaciously researching — exactly why he and other white people didn’t have black friends. The reasons are complex, ranging from school policy to real estate practices to media image-making to church politics. But the former Vestavia Hills resident dives right in from the springboard of his own life, recognizing his ignorance the whole way. The result: “Some of My Best Friends are Black: The Strange Story of Integration in America.” Our Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen caught up with Colby not long after the author appeared on MSNBC to discuss America’s persistent racial separation. A partial index of subjects and time markers is below.
8:02 — A discussion of how federal government policies contributed to urban blight.
10:07 — Colby explains “redlining,” which cut blacks off from mortgage capital.
11:00 — The advertising industry (and media stereotypes) as a window into our culture.
12:35 — Colby’s thoughts on racial separation in church, past and future.
13:30 — Overblown fears of a “majority-minority” country?
14:56 — Where the solution starts…
2 survivors of suspected drug vessel will be sent to home countries, Trump says
The two survivors of an American military strike on a suspected drug-carrying vessel in the Caribbean will be sent to Ecuador and Colombia, their home countries, President Trump said.
These voters want to overturn Missouri’s new gerrymandered congressional map
A Missouri group is working to overturn the map that gives the state one more Republican seat in Congress. If they get enough signatures, the map cannot take effect unless Missourians approve them.
Harris says Democrats ‘are standing up for working people’ in government shutdown
Harris made the comments in an AP interview Friday, the same day her book tour brought her to Birmingham.
Opinion: Susan Stamberg gave NPR its voice
NPR has lost a singular, distinctive radio journalist: Susan Stamberg, who died Thursday. She was the first woman to host a national news broadcast and set the tone, pace, and scope of the network.
Why are so many rich Americans investing in British soccer teams?
American millionaires and celebrities are buying up British soccer teams in record numbers.
A caregiver’s survival guide: Advice from people who’ve been there
Family caregivers offer their wit, wisdom and survival tips for the hardest unpaid job in America.
