(bright music) (dynamic music) - Hello, I'm Earl Arms and welcome to the April edition of Black Nouveau.

April is Autism Acceptance Month.

Alexandria Mack talks with Amelia Peace, author of the children's book "Alone Bird: A Story About Autism" and how her daughter's journey with the disease inspired the book.

More people are getting vaccinated for COVID-19 but we're not out of the woods just yet.

James Causey talks with Dr. Jane Wainaina about a possible new surge of the virus.

In his award-winning best-selling book "How To Be An Antiracist", Professor Ibram X. Kendi examines racism through numerous lenses to help readers of all ethnicities understand how to navigate through this difficult subject.

He joins us now and Professor, thank you so much.

Your book challenges us to look at racism in a different way than many people do.

How did you arrive at you have to be antiracist, not just not a racist?

- Research, from studying the history of racism, from studying those who were indeed being racist, from finding that again and again, these people were denying the ways in which they were being racist by saying, "I'm not racist."

How in order to obviously be different from them but even more importantly in order to undermine racism itself, we have to admit it when we do it but more importantly, we have to see it in our society.

And in order to see it in our society and challenge it, we have to be antiracist.

- So how can being an antiracist then overcome racist attitudes and policies?

- Because I think for whatever reason, we think that the way we overcome racist attitudes is to quote, stop being that way, or to stop having antiracist attitudes.

I don't think we realize that there's an opposite to racist attitudes.

There's an opposite in thinking that black people are lazy.

It's thinking that no racial group is lazier than other racial groups, which is an antiracist idea.

And I think what happens is when we adopt antiracist perspectives that recognize the quality of the racial groups, that that's more effective, that that can allow us then to sort of shed racist attitudes.

And obviously we need to replace policies that are racist, that maintain racial inequity, with policies that are antiracist that can eliminate that inequity and create equity and justice for all.

- You give a lot of personal examples in your book, extremely candid about your experiences in overcoming your own racial attitudes.

So talk about the challenges with that, how hard was it, how easy was it?

And if you could, give some examples.

- Yeah, I was, I came of age in the 1980s and especially in the 1990s and I was a black youngster in the 1990s.

And if there was ever a decade in American history when black youth were considered the American problem, it was the 1990s.

And that's when black youth were considered a menace to society or superpredators or people who didn't value education or people who were having too many babies because we wanted more welfare or, you know, kids who were just so violent because hip hop was so violent.

Black youth were constantly being told, I was constantly being told that I was a problem.

And so eventually I started believing that and internalizing those ideas, to the point at which when I graduated high school, I gave a speech for an MLK competition in which I expressed all the things I thought that were wrong with black youth, not realizing that there was nothing wrong with black youth as a group and everything wrong with me thinking that there was something wrong with black youth.

And I've really spent the last 20 years of my life trying to overcome that, the way those racist ideas that I internalized.

- To that then, what do you consider the difference then between being an antiracist and implicit bias?

- So one of the things I've been trying to get people to realize is bias is not something that is quote, natural.

And certainly racial bias is not natural, meaning, because when something is natural, when something is an inherent, what that means is it's always been there, it always exists and it always will exist.

But racial bias is a new phenomenon because racist ideas are a new phenomenon.

And when people are biased, they're biased because of their ideas.

They believe black is dangerous.

So you have cops who are biased towards black people in ways that they are not towards, let's say white folks.

And so for me, that's why I don't really talk as much about bias or even prejudice or even discrimination because, like almost the foundation for that are ideas and policies and I'm trying to get people to see that foundation.

- What's your most urgent call for someone right now that's trying to be an antiracist?

How does someone black, white, Asian, Latinx, whatever group you identify with, what's that urgent call that you would have for someone that wants to be a part of this movement?

- Overcome your denial.

You oftentimes have white folks who say they're not racist, even though they think that black neighborhoods are dangerous, even though they think those schools with higher concentrations of Latinx kids are bad schools, and even though they think black and brown people should be incarcerated disproportionately, even though they don't see anything wrong with the racial disparities in our society, even though they have all those racist ideas and are looking away at racist policies, they imagine that they're not racist when that's just not true.

Or you have folks of color who see other folks of color as the problem, or as problems, who internalize racist ideas about their own racial group, who do not support antiracist policies, who think that black and brown people are dying from police violence because of what they did wrong.

"Oh, why did you resist arrest?

Why didn't you do this?"

You know, as opposed to the fact that you're not trained to deescalate situations, that officers should be trained to deescalate situations.

That indeed, and so I just don't think, I think for us to ask ourselves the question, are we upholding this system of racism or are we challenging it?

And for each of us to to figure out how we're going to be a part of this larger struggle, personally and even in society, to challenge the system.

- So how do you get over that fatigue when it comes to fighting the system?

I mean, COVID-19, we get, we're tired of Covid, we're tired of a lot of things, but when it comes to fighting racism there seems to be a lot of tiredness there.

So how do you fight that when trying to be antiracist?

- Well, black folks, I know in particular, I've been black my whole life, racism is tiring too and racism is dispiriting.

And so to me, especially for those folks of color, you're going to be tired regardless, right?

You're either going to be tired from racism or you're going to be tired from fighting racism, and typically you're going to be tired from both.

But at least for me, if I'm tired from fighting racism, then I have a chance to create a world for myself and other folks where we're no longer going to be tired from racism because racism has ended.

Or, you know, you have many white folks who are quote, tired of being called racist, or they're tired of their nation being called racist.

So, you know a way to overcome that tiredness?

To be antiracist and fight to create an equitable and just world for us all.

- So you're the founder and the director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University over in Washington, DC.

What exactly does that do?

- So actually, I recently moved to Boston University and I'm leading now the Center for Antiracist Research here.

And what we're seeking to do is, first and foremost, figuring out ways to organize scholars into teams, connect them to practitioners to ensure that their scholarship is identifying and describing and complicating, you know, the racial problems of our time, but also, it's leading to evidence-based solutions to the problems of our time.

And so there's just so much incredible sort of research that's being conducted that I think everyday Americans should want to know about racism, that I think should be at table when it comes to policy changes and at the highest of level, that's what we're seeking to do with our Center for Antiracist Research.

- You're pretty busy too, because you've also got a partnership with the Boston Globe going on right now.

It's to start a new online news service that reports on race, so talk about the status of that.

- Yes, I and my colleagues at the Center for Antiracist Research and the folks at the Boston Globe Opinion team, you know, we at least on our center side realized that part of the difficulty was that, as I mentioned earlier, you had so many scholars doing great research on racism but there aren't as many outlets where they can translate that research into op-eds and commentaries and other forms of media that everyday people can consume and understand and it can impact how they see a problem like, you know, police violence or housing insecurity or something else.

And so we were encouraged to figure out ways to provide a platform for scholars to publish pieces on their research, just as, and to do that in conversation with columnists, with journalists who are also writing sort of evidence-based, data-driven opinion pieces that allow our society to not only see the problem but see the antiracist solutions.

- So we have a couple minutes so I'm going to go back to your book a little bit and talk about the Black Lives Matter movement, the Stop Asian Hate movement, and with the social justice movements going on how do you contextualize everything that's happening and what's going on?

- Well, I think one of the things that's happening.

You know, for far too long, people have been told they don't have any power or they're powerless, or they've been made to feel powerless or hopeless.

And I think we have so many people, particularly younger people, who are recognizing their power, who are recognizing their power to demonstrate that police violence, that racism more broadly, that anti-Asian violence is wrong and needs to end, and who are organizing against it, organizing against voter suppression policies.

And so, you know, that's, to me, one of the most exciting things, that we're moving past this idea that we just don't have power because indeed we do have power.

We have the power to resist and we're using that power to do so, many of us.

Some of us certainly are not, but many folks are.

And I think that that power that we're assembling, that we're putting together, is then of course confronting another power that's seeking to maintain a nation of inequity and injustice, a nation where, you know, white people have outside or disproportionate amounts of power, particularly policymaking power that we're confronting and challenging.

We're using our power to challenge that sort of power to create a democracy where power is shared, where people feel like their voice is being heard, where every racial group is at the table.

- I'll get you out of here with this question because you mentioned black people and the power that we do have.

And that was one of the moments I had in the book, when you talk about black people and how we can actually be racist because we have that power.

So how did you come to that conclusion that black people can be racist?

Because we've always heard the notion that, or a lot of us have heard the notion that we don't have any power, people of color don't have power so we can't be racist.

But how do you challenge that?

- Well, first, I think it's important for us to distinguish racist as a T from racism and racism is something that's structural, that's institutional.

Racist with a T is individual.

So the question is, does any individual who is black have power?

That's a different question than whether, let's say, black people have the power to suppress or oppress white people or any other group of people, or even themselves.

The question is, does a black person have the power?

Does, does the, you know, does Clarence Thomas have power?

Does a black mayor have power?

Does a black congresswoman have power?

Did the black Kentucky attorney general who allowed the killers of Brianna Taylor to walk, did he have power to indict those people?

And the question is, or do we all, do every single one of us have the power to resist white supremacy?

And my answer is yes, we have that power.

And some of us, many of us, the vast majority of black folks are using that power, and others, like Candace Owens, like Clarence Thomas, like Daniel Cameron and a series of others are using their power to harm black people, are using their power to say the problem is black people, are not using their power to challenge racism and indeed are upholding racism.

And any time any individual is upholding racism, they're being racist.

- Professor Kendi, such an honor.

Thank you so much for joining us.

- You're welcome.

Thank you for having me.

(dynamic music) - "Alone Bird: A Story About Autism".

Tilly Bird is alone.

Why does Tilly Bird feel this way?

Why does Tilly Bird shy away?

My book "Alone Bird" is such an interesting story.

It really discusses the introductory to autism for young children, and it explores how children with autism just communicate differently than others.

Hello!

Yay!

Yeah!

I became more interested in writing books about autism because of my daughter, Robin.

My daughter is non-verbal and she has autism.

Robin was diagnosed at the early age of three, shortly after her third birthday.

Well, my mother, she noticed a few milestones that Robin was not hitting.

At the age of 14 months, Robin's speech, around 16 months actually declined, she was saying maybe three words.

And then after 16 months, there were no words.

Tilly Bird is loud.

She cries a lot.

Tilly Bird is mean.

She hits a lot.

(emotive music) ♪ Why do we pay no mind ♪ ♪ To strangers passing by ♪ ♪ Where do we find the time to feel the winds of change ♪ There was a lot of, I would say, frustration I had with her preschool, as far as the communication that I had with the teacher on how to gear Robin up for success in class.

She was often viewed as being disruptive.

And as I explained more and more about her behaviors, it didn't seem as if it was being received positively.

So the book was really my outlet to just explain the different ups and downs that autism has.

Tilly Bird feels alone because Tilly Bird is all alone.

I think writing this entire story, again, I initially wrote it just journaling my thoughts, but it was hard to really come to terms that at times, that's how individuals, you know, perceived her.

And it was hurtful because Robin has so many talents and her personality is great, but that wasn't being shown at the time.

And, you know, people saw the negative.

So it was really hard for me to come to terms like, hey, you know, those are the kind of, the things that people thought, so.

♪ Use your light in the darkness ♪ ♪ And nobody followed behind ♪ I think a misconception, which I've talked to a lot of parents and groups online that I want to address in the book is that children with autism, they have their emotions just like you and I and others.

Their emotions are a little bit heightened.

They tend to get overstimulated, from my experience with autism.

And that can often be misinterpreted as-- Hey!

Hey!

If they're not understanding things, but they do.

It's just, they're processing it in a different way than you and I.

So I just want my book to showcase that, you know, we are all, we have similarities, we just respond to things in different ways.

Being different does not mean it's bad.

Being different should not make you feel sad.

The book is for children like Robin, children who necessarily don't have a voice and who have frustrations in daily life and sometimes families or friends may not understand that.

And it's to really help bridge the gap between educators and those who have loved ones with autism, to provide a better understanding.

Can you say bye-bye to me?

Huh?

I hope people learn that, have patience, really.

And, you know, we come in a society where we're often ridiculed at times because of our differences.

Good job, Bird.

Bye, have fun today!

It's improving now, which is so great.

And I hope this book just highlights that or just brings that conversation forward, that, you know, let's accept each other's differences and be kind to one another.

Tilly Bird has autism and that's not bad.

So let us change from being brats.

Let's show Tilly Bird that she is included in the class.

The end.

- More people are getting the COVID-19 vaccinations, but at the same time scientists are predicting a possible new surge.

What does that mean for communities of color?

We are joined now by Dr. Jane Wainaina from Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Thanks for joining us.

- Thank you for the invitation.

It's a privilege and an honor to talk with you today.

- Thank you.

So the numbers are creeping back up.

What's the reason for the possible surge?

- Well, there's probably a couple of reasons.

One is as it's getting warmer and as more people are getting vaccines, people are feeling a little more confident about dropping the precautions that we've been using, you know, wearing masks, social distancing, hand hygiene, avoiding large gatherings.

And around the country, many of the mandates to keep those precautions going are also being relaxed and loosened, thus kind of driving that forward.

That's the first one.

The other one is that we are seeing imported variants in SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid, that are more transmissible.

There's the UK variant, there's a South African variant, there's the Brazilian variant, all of which have been identified in Wisconsin.

And by more transmissible, it means that they more easily go from person to person and therefore are quicker to cause infection than the, should I say, the original virus that we've had for so many months.

- Do you expect a really big surge from spring break?

I mean, if you look at what happened in Florida, it was crazy.

- I would agree.

I am very concerned about that.

We have a lot more people traveling around now.

There's, you know, more than a million people going through our airport, for instance, here in Wisconsin on a regular basis.

And beyond that, it's not just that they're traveling, it's that they're dropping those precautions.

People are gathering together in large crowds.

They are not wearing their masks and not necessarily paying attention to hand hygiene or washing their hands.

And then, you know, people come from all over, don't follow those precautions, and then go back to where they came from, carrying virus and spreading it, just like happened last year.

So we are all very concerned that we may see another surge, another wave and this time with variants that are much more easily transmissible so the spike may be much steeper.

There's also concern that some of these variants may cause more severe disease than the original ones.

- Yeah, we're seeing greater partnerships in the black community, for instance, you can now get vaccinated at the state's largest black barbershop and a Black Historical Society is also offering vaccinations for people of color and anyone who lives in these communities.

What other type of partnerships are you seeing that appear to be working?

- Some of the other partnerships start at state level.

So with the last phase movement, so movement to phase 1C, one of the eligibility requirements, or one of the ways you could be eligible, was living in certain zip codes.

And a lot of those are where a lot of the black community lives.

So that was already, I guess you could call it partnership or support at state level, that prioritizes people who are, in our communities who are at risk.

Additionally, many of the healthcare facilities are offering vaccines to whoever is eligible regardless of whether you get your healthcare with that healthcare facility.

So if there's a clinic that's near you, you could schedule and go there.

Same thing with the various pharmacies like Hayat Pharmacy or Walgreens.

And it's also been recognized that not everybody can, is using a smartphone or has access to a computer or even has internet bandwidth to schedule, you know, using some app or the other.

And so there are communities and healthcare systems that are actually reaching out, so proactively calling patients.

I can tell you, at Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin, that's one of the things that we're doing.

We're identifying patients.

Obviously, we can only identify patients who we see who qualify but haven't scheduled and maybe don't seem to be very computer savvy, they don't use our portal.

And we are calling them and inviting them.

We have an army of medical students and residents who have stepped up to do that.

And I don't believe we are necessarily unique in that regard.

- Okay.

We have time for one more question.

How effective is the vaccine on this new variant?

And is this something that we can expect every year like the flu shot where people will have to get a booster of some kind?

- That's a very good question.

So, so far the vaccines that have been authorized for use in the US have been found to be 100% effective, meaning they do what they're supposed to do.

What are they supposed to do?

They're supposed to prevent you from getting so sick from Covid that you need to be in the hospital, or that you, the disease progresses to being in the ICU or dying from it.

If you do get Covid, then at worst, it's mild like a cold that goes away.

So all three vaccines that have been authorized, the Pfizer, the Moderna, and the J&J or the Johnson & Johnson or Janssen, 100% effective at that, including the variants that we know about, especially the UK variant.

Now some of the newer ones, we don't have enough information to say that but the signals are promising from that standpoint.

- [James] Okay, thank you.

- And before we close tonight, a couple of notes.

This month, Henry Hampton's epic award-winning documentary "Eyes on the Prize," the definitive story of the civil rights era, is running on the PBS World Channel.

Check out our website, milwaukeepbs.org, for dates and times.

And next week, Thursday, April 15th at 7:00 pm, right here on Milwaukee PBS channel 10, I co-moderate a Listen Milwaukee special, a discussion about racial tension between African American and Asian communities.

It's a conversation you do not want to miss.

For Black Nouveau, I'm Earl Arms.

Have a good evening.

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