[inaudible conversations] and. I am the event associated and i am glad you are here tonight we defense all over the city from our main store to other locations to the George Washington campus but it is such a jury to be a part in this community. This is our event first ofseason 2017 so continuing into the next few weeks well also have the parents of trade on martin. Tonight were welcoming Michael Eric Dyson as ordained minister offer of 19 books most recently the black presidency his newest book tears we cannot stop is a book that should take the place of why we can wait to have analysis in deep faith and is considering in every way. Riding there would be moments when his words proved unforgettable and i will second that. Is stuck with me for a long time. H wesley the National Reporter from the National Post and author of they cannot kill us all. I will turn this over the before i do please join me to welcome our guests tonight. [applause] good evening we do appreciate you coming down for an excellent conversation with is remarkably done and very moving and compelling piece of writing when he has written 19 books i would help he would start to get good added that what we have all known as that dr. Dyson has been excellent at this for a long time. It would be on fitting to start the conversation anywhere else where we are sitting here todays before the president ial inauguration after a campaign to replace the first black president and that led to the election of the replacement to objectively plan a campaign promised racial discord and unrest and many would say racism. Right. Hound you take the temperature of the current moment as that rebates to the ongoing wages of what the current president describes . First of all, banks to politics prose limeade it to the synagogue. Ts i am t6 now. [laughter] we are in a fix. We are in a muddle. There are many words we could generate to articulate misery or social distress c apocalypse and chaos just the beginning of the analysis. But it is true we have refusey come through. Refused to reduce your life this particular even to with the Infinite Possibilities and to engage in behavior to modify a future that we can contribute to society but a concerted effort it is not predetermined to have the theology your predestination to determine the outcome in in france but in advance but human activity could modify. President obama verses donald trott bid is too easy. About the interviewed about the books that formed his wideranging of literacy with impeachment of sir rebuttal matters to darken the office we have abraham lincoln, thomas jefferson, barack obama, bill clinton even begrudgingly acknowledge Woodrow Wilson wilson and fdr they having gauge in serious rapport with literate sources and then we have Donald Trumps i know of to leading is a new for of literacy of a stable narrative of logic. And then rises up intervention. This is the first toddler presidency and vice say that with all due respect to toddlers. [laughter] let the real. Donald trump has arrived in america for very specific reasons. The man who attacked the legitimacy of barack obama over to a years with velocity and intensity to shatter that social compact yearround day fragilele consumption by intervening with the most vicious lambasting of the president a sitting president being subjected to such hateful rhetoric as the president of the United States of america and the birth of racism by suggesting he was not really an american but all of this of Conspiracy Theory and vengeful white supremacist thinking so yet that is the guy who would rise to the top that many people chose to be president of the United States of america the party that rose up when we think about frankenstein remember that is the name of the doctor. Not the monster. Whoever created donald trump is equally responsible. When you assaultive obama the first thing you wanted to do when you got together pr on the day of his inauguration to say we will make cham unsuccessful you are unpatriotic and not americans. But if you place yourself up to suggest obama was not Truly American muslim muslim, socialist communist communist, doesnt believe in god, so all the stuff they tried to put on obama was the fundamental principle with london negro in charge. You can dress it up for political that is part of it that the end of the day the resurgence of black him alreadis that the root. Where are you going . Oh my god. Dont go. It is like the color purple. [laughter] till leave. To leave. But mr. Trump does represent the fact there is a certain time of metastasizing witness of a particular variety and species in different to with ownak innocence or cost dial into taken into account and then hiv2 interrogate the sourceerem i tried to interrogate the source so i tried to address what we can do as the most powerful metaphor that has led to a disease conception sari for that matter for. Early in the book page seven news said bear witness to the truth icn reality accept know. And with those they may not survive. Lightness is not a con strut but i think of the of phrase and not to survive in a world to conflict to confront of this whteness. Is a great point many White Brothers and sisters are all little bit having a sub continues reaction subcutaneous reaction wereny all part of the group of somebody praise please dont let did be a black man. Not this time. No disrespect. Latinos say led libya blacknd guy we all say elected me the white guy with the buzz cut. That we could never be judged as the individual ween are seen as the exception to black people is represented as the group of the great thing is the exception what a luxury in a beautiful thing. And what it is interesting on of one hand with that difference if you have itwhen yt and dont know what it could be problematic. You thank you have a twoway but you have a winchester. Not a toy gun. Be more contemp if you deploy your whitenessits that is problematic. Maybe they do not want to beto called together as of group. Why you call us white . Okay. Because you are not to black or not read or not yellow . I unde i understand the rebellion away to engage a group of people many of which are not described to africanamericans. The reality is that White Americans have not been engaged to think critically about what the means to be white. Men thing gender for you or a gender berger you are a man and masculinity can beto toxic. You can be predatory misogyny and sexism in patriarchy combined to be intense. They dont bank of gender over brothers and sisters dont think about race. Ethnicity is one thing italian or lithuania or a jewish or polish but then to be made in uh crucible of america but thats identity is pulverized in the race and rf race. Because they cannot make those distinctions the northern parts of italy all of those differences that make a difference in in europe is less important when you come to america. And race substitutes but also disallows that serious whitenesnt with whiteness parker youre not bored with that you learn to become white by breathing in the atmosphere of the society that lends significance so many are resentful but yetthe d welcome to the of rolled to the role of minorities. I think it is extremely important to wrestle with that notion of lightness soothee White Brothers and sisters get a grasp and interrogate interrogate, introspective, talk about it that is not defensive for vicious to put down others but be reflective of those political identities some people tell me what the professor from georgetown. I am a rich professor from georgetown. But it is not like Jackie Robinson children got an exemption because they were rich from the jim crow. Or rich black people did not get treated better than poor black people so why is it now in justice to say to be the benefit of a vintage because it was never about of money over the cash but that pregnant and the color of the of race if you are stopped and you dont buy that is the greatest white privileges in the world in america. I was in front at 430 in the of morning. What the you wondering what those john people were engaged in. I was out there a white kid is going off on the of police. I thought oh my god they are going to shoot him then i said he is white. This is what the policemans said sen you are clearly inebriating you need to go home. Can we get back . Do not issue does. Deprive our cement to deprive of of kenya the death knowledge cumulative knowledge the stereotype of and not racial profiling of a 12 yearold child. Is a cessation to be that velocity of stereotype and of that same humanity that you grant each other in. And if White Brothers and sisters could grapple with that than we would make progress when it is a means to be white. What i was thinking is many black writers george journalist or journal this so what is the role of rememb black intellectual . I remembered a response given during a conversation about his audience. And he said i felt many of the people i was reading in the 90s word burdened by the need to explain to the white people. But you say with the stated goal and purpose that what do you see as the role of black men and women to win gauge the stories and that is of great plaint point i identify with the millenials i am not to teach you but they talk to me. I am not here to teach you anything. All kinds of hate and i get all kinds of meat email that call me nigger. Nigger this sort nigger that plays a professor nigger. [laughter] i worked hard to cut least shout me out on that the degree of my i believe. I. E. I believe. So you get that low back and hostility. I cannot believe you are a professor you were trying to warp the mind of my children. Actually i am that it is my goal actually warps speed i have to try to open the mine up and engage them. To dec the lead to challenge at and use words that might make you upset because you dont know what i am saying because a negro using words s you dont understand to cuss you out simultaneously. Ent i come from the different generation that i take the black universe as normal. And with that dominant society in the sense of a thltural starting plane to. And it isnt that we just agreed that to bee cantankerous. That is widely can never change the world but not in the forefront i was in the marching and washington to be involved in getting a rusted progress are real thing. Not a summer job. [laughter] but i also know what demeans to be suspicious and skeptical of your own thinking and a certitude. T it ma it is and that you land on the ground below are a bit more skeptical old global debt more humility i take a aerate but to engage in negotiating between barack obama to reach across the aisle even though i had many disagreements with him and argued with him about his presidency but that is a different gesture of openness than donald trump ikn have all the answers and no what to do. Thinker how think raising questions that are troubling i tried to convert people i am unapologetic about that. I understand that. With the range of truth but i come from a different b tradition i am trying to talk to you. Live feel sympathetic if you throw me in the river give me a lifeboat or something out ofg on to. We engage people of what we think white people think one way something about that collective process of the impact of the representation of culture but in this buffed but i also talk about white verses dark like in stern to your neighbor is said you happen to have to yell los negros one is goodlooking. So light verses dark my daddy was blue black lacy how he was judged and that is among the black people. Dont let your children playt yr too long in the sun they could get darker or dont make dead dark skin person against another dark skin and person. I deal with at whiff classic and homophobia this is allbi biggest tree and tribalism at the heart of our own selflf consciousness. Etimes you feel like that. That kind of the day. You are a leader in your lack of got to tell you again a million times but my solution is if somebody asks, talk to them. Somebody wants to know speak to them because thats a man i want to know certain things about semitism. I have tried to be an i know like white liberals, i do things. Look at my antimisogyny and then i am just repratroting. We are trying to interrogate what it means. When White Brothers and sisters, we ought to reward that curiosity and their desire to know how to do better. We also ought to challenge. We cant just take you in and say that is great. There is white folks who take refuge in the fact i am thought like that donald trump. But mart said white liberals can be some of the biggest problems because they are convinced of their rightness and they are on the right side and it blocks them from doing the serious work of how interrogated whiten liberalism perpetuates is. [applause] those who havent picked up the book yet, it is structured as a sermon. After the call to worship you go on to the hymns of praise. To open up this section of the book, shouts out lauren hill, tupac, this is a book dedicated to Beyonce Knowels carter and tina as well and opened with a quote from wb dubois that says what are these songs and what do they sneen they are the music of an unhappy people. Othe children of the disappointment. A tale of death and suffering and unvoiced longing toward a truer world. Now, one thing you grapple with in this book is, and this is a twopart extra questions here. One thing you grapple with is this idea of truth. At one point you right whiteness is not real. It is still true. Getting to this point you are talk about earlier, the concept of whiteness. The social structure even though we know race is an invented concept overlaid into our lives. Can you talk about why you exposing people to black culture and the hymns that deal with pain and trauma. Why is that an essential doorway into understanding blackness . That is a fine mind rapting right there. I think black people hear this and they think they listen like i dont understand it. We come from a generation where Nat King Cole was used at juliard. Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, jack frost nipping at your nose. Yuletide carols being sung. I love it. I love all that music. It is a nice little song. I dont think Scotty Pippin thinks so but that is on the other side. Got to get some tmz up in here. What is interesting is that we come from a generation that was romantic. It wasnt good. It wasnt gold. Areetha franklin was singing with a bunch of other singers we cant remember. But you want to judge franklins powerful pedigree against people now when that is not fair. There is a lot of stuff that is horrible and a little stuff that is great. I wanted to start with these songs so that even if people couldnt understand what they are saying they are saying something poignant and powerful. When tupac said just the other day i got lynched by crooked cops and they say cops on the beat getting major pay but when i getting my checks they taking taxes out so we paying cops to knock the blocks down. You dont have to be a marxist to understand subsidizing oppression. When he said somebody wake me up, i am dreaming, i started as the semen, planted in the wound while screaming on the top was my pops my mother hollering stop from a single drop; this is bhaut they got . Not to disrespect my people but my father was a looser and even as a seed i could see his plan for me stranded on welfare another broken family. Listen to the agony of jayz. Back when back when the police were alqaeda to black men. So when people get riled up like i did this morning on cnn when i compared the experience of american black people in terms of terror to isis how dare you . You dont understand what i am telling you. I am telling you the police are acted wanting and violently targeting others. That was an Occupying Force that happens under the edge of the state and the first interaction many black people had with the state was the police and they have been vicious and violence. I have been called names and threatening to shoot me and threatening to kill me. I wanted that to resonate. I wanted beyonce to resonate. Can she be black . Why is it that we have the translate race . Why cant be be black and human . I read martin buber he doesnt have to cease to be jewish. A aberham doesnt have to give up the broader jewish tradition of humanity. In that conception of roseness is the universal way. That is a philosophical conception and i dont want to get bogged down but at the same time when you bring your girlfriend or boyfriend a rose you are bringing them the essence of the universal wrapped mt particular. Why do black people have to stop being black in order to be human . I think that is a problem and i want to challenge it. I want White Brothers and sisters to see the agony and grief. If bob dylan has a nobel prize i cant wait until jayz and naz have one. I just cant stand around so i get closer and the closer i bet the better it sounds. My mind starts to activate. Rhymes collaborate. When i heard the beat i estimate. Something from the top of my head. Like slaves on the ship bragging about who has the fly fores est. There is strategy, deployment of narrative devices and i wanted that to come true but i wanted the pain, the grief, the sorrow, the suffering, the humanity to resonate. That to me to back up to your broader part about what is truth that is a biblical question, a philosophical question, you know . Claims of what is true and not true had to be worked out and our point of objectivety and i am saying we are down here on the ground. We dont see according to likeness some species. We see down here from the worms eye view. In that view, that truth is what we make of it. That is what we happen of it. We say these are the truths we have had to grabble with. This is the pain and agony we have been con fronted with. This is the mortality we are forced to con front. When i think about that truth, there is not one that is unwielding that is true now and forever. But where we know things to be true and powerful and operate in a certain way. If we have the power to make what we believe to be true you are in a great seat. If what you do hasnt been authorized by the state and people look suspiciously at you and cross eyed at you you are part of an inferior species and thinkers and human beings. I wanted to challenge that stuff and wanted White Brothers and sisters to think about that. I want to open up the floor to questions so people who have questions if you want to line up i think we have two microphones. As we get there, i want to move through as many