Race in America

Special guest Dr. Angela Courage (aka Doc Courage) is a change agent in the classroom and community, focusing on the study of interracial and intercultural communications. In this episode with Dr. Twanna Henderson, Dr. Courage discusses race in America and how listening more and talking less can lead to healthier conversations that will then empower you to communicate better with diverse others. 

0:27 Twanna introduces special guest Dr. Angela Courage.

1:25 Twanna shares Dr. Courage's mantra, which is "the quality of your communication dictates the quality of your relationships." 

2:07 Twanna reminds everyone of the recent killings of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd.

3:00 Twanna brings up the question that many people ask, "As believers, why should we care about the issue of race?" 

3:42 Dr. Courage explains how race is not a real thing. "Race is a social construct. It's not a biological thing. It is a culture we have created." 

5:18 Dr. Courage shares her passion to re-educate willing people who deal with misinformation, biases and racism. 

5:55 Dr. Courage shares how her interest and desire to spread awareness on diversity and inclusion began at a young age being a military kid who grew up overseas. 

12:17 Dr. Courage shares how she had a lot of opportunities to be exposed to other cultures because of her early imprinting and because she has always paid attention and made different cultures important. 

13:30 Dr. Courage explains what white privilege is. "White privilege is just the fact that I can expect as a white person that I can do some normal things in life and even some bad things and be treated with more dignity than a Black person would be treated or a Latino person." 

15:50 "Privilege is unearned benefits and white people have a lot more unearned benefits than people of color in this country because our forefathers set it up that way," shares Dr. Courage. 

17:00 Dr. Courage shares a personal story of her son's unjust experience with a police officer, which resulted in him spending a week in jail. 

19:45 Dr. Courage presents the Harvard implicit bias test that you can take if you want to know if you have an implicit bias toward a particular race. 

21:55 The phenomenon of "in-group" behavior and "out-group" behavior is explained by Dr. Courage as active in every culture in history and a part of our sinful nature when we objectify and dehumanize people.  

25:06 Twanna asks, "Why is it so difficult for people to listen to each other?" 

26:08 Dr. Courage says, "If you're not being exposed to other people, you're trying not to be exposed and trying not to learn. It's not accidental anymore; it's intentional." 

28:45 Dr. Courage says that as people of God, we are called to listen. 

29:27 Twanna brings to light that there are some white people who defend themselves by saying, "I have a black friend." 

31:12 Dr. Courage says that different cultures have different interpretations of what a friend is to them and how quickly they make friends and stop being friends.  

32:48 Twanna asks, What are some practical things people can do to begin to understand one another?

33:58 As white people, Dr. Courage says, instead of looking at listening like a 50/50 exchange, it's better to be quiet and realize you haven't listened enough.  

35:36 The second way we can better understand each other is by educating ourselves on what we're not hearing. 

37:44 Twanna asks, What should the church not be doing, and what should the church be doing? 

39:15 Dr. Courage believes the church needs to begin with repentance based on 2 Chronicles 7:14.

41:42 Dr. Courage closes in prayer for the people listening and for our land. 

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