In the wake of resistance to Black Lives Matter protests against racial injustice in cities like Portland, Oregon; Kenosha, Wisconsin; and others, we decided to take a look at race relations in the small towns and suburbs of Connecticut. What we found was disturbing.
In some ways, the show feels inadequate. I wish we could have included more of the many people who have experienced racist behavior in our small towns of Connecticut. We won't get to talk to a woman from Farmington who received a threatening note at her home for hanging a Black Lives Matter banner, a student from Killingly who experienced racial bullying, a young BLM organizer in Durham, or a woman angry that Confederate flags are still sold at the Durham fair. I know about these. Most incidents never make the news.
This hour, what’s it like to be black and living in a small town or suburb in Connecticut? How do we begin to change the structures that keep racism alive?
GUESTS:
- Gary Greenberg is a psychotherapist, the author of The Book of Woe: The DSM and the Unmasking of Psychiatry, and the first selectman of Scotland, Connecticut
- Drew John Ladd is a blogger, activist, and the author of Wolfsong, Beloved
- Leah Ralls is the president of the Windham/Willimantic NAACP and a social worker for Connecticut’s Division of Public Defender Services
- Al Robinson is a blogger, activist, and the publisher of My Left Nutmeg
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Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.
