The Roots of Race

The Robert Wesley Branch Show

This is the story of the roots of race in America, beginning in Europe, with Carl Linnaeus, Johann Blumenbach, then moving stateside with Thomas George Morton, and Louis Agassiz – and their scientific racism. This is also the story of race, class, and poverty in the United States, with an extended conversation about neighborhood life on the south side of Chicago. How exactly do we pull a young brother up out of the drug-dealing hustle and place him solidly into the middle class – on the right side of the law? What is the science and spirit of that? This is also the story of white privilege and white patriarchy. This is also the story of the ruling class – on this planet and in this country. This is, too, the story of how brothers have to learn how to father one another. A lot of men don’t need another brother, they need a father, and they need to be fathered. And you, brother, are all they have. We’re talking about that. This is a story of liberating you from indoctrination. How exactly do you uplevel a slave mentality? This is also the story of being a Black person and working (in business) with other Black people: tis not an easy thing sometimes. This is a real, raw, and relevant conversation on race – for mature audiences and seasoned minds only. [TRWBS 234-237 – The Roots of Race – April 22-May 20, 2017.]