Listen to our season premiere:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher
It’s the episode we’ve been wanting to make for years. In our season premiere, we’re talking about the N-word.
It’s a word both unspeakable and ubiquitous. A weapon of hate and a badge of belonging. After centuries of evolution, it’s everywhere — art, politics, everyday banter — and it can’t be ignored.
Today, we’re finally going there.
This episode contains strong language.
On today’s episode
Toni Morrison on racism as a distraction
A recent workplace incident involving the N-word got Jenna thinking about a Toni Morrison quote that’s popular on social media:
“The function, the very serious function of racism is distraction. It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you explaining, over and over again, your reason for being.”
“Ms. Morrison is cautioning us: Do not fall into the trap,” Jenna said. “We were spending more time on the phone digging into this incident than we were talking about our book projects, talking about this show, talking about our love lives, talking about what we were cooking for dinner.” She added, “At the end of every workday, I was just completely depleted.”