Episode 02: The Backlash Show

Portland, Oregon is at the center of what seems to be an experiment on civil disobedience control, with President Trump using the Black Lives Matter protests as an excuse to send in Federal Troops to the city in his call to “dominate the streets”. In this episode of Let’s Talk About Race, our journalists discuss the effects of the federal government’s handling of Portland and its future implications. In a timely double review, Book Love looks at James Baldwin’s work The Fire Next Time an essay written on the centennial of the Emancipation Proclamation. In an echo of his work, Jesmyn Ward has put together a collection of essays from prominent voices in the African American community in The Fire This Time. Rounding out this episode The Faith Report tackles the state of the White Evangelical Church. As Trump and conservative media continue to stoke the fears of their audience by othering protesters and people of color, the Bible’s message of loving your neighbor is getting lost.