democracynow--2020-05-27--COVID Racial Data Tracker: Ibram X. Kendi on How Better Data Reveals the True Toll of the Pandemic

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : This is Democracy Now !
, democracynow.org , The Quarantine Report .
I ’ m Amy Goodman , with Juan González , as we continue our discussion with Dr. Ibram X. Kendi , award-winning author , professor of history and international relations , founding director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University .
Let ’ s turn now to the staggering toll the coronavirus is taking on African Americans in the United States .
According to the COVID Racial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Atlantic and the Antiracist Research and Policy Center , over 20,000 Black people have died due to COVID-19 infection , at a rate nearly twice that of the population share in the United States , this coming as the total U.S. death toll is at just about 100,000 and states rush to reopen their economies despite massive loss of life and warnings from public health experts .
Dr. Kendi , can you help — can you explain the COVID Racial Data Tracker ?
IBRAM X. KENDI : Sure .
So , in early @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had even released racial demographic data .
So I called , and other people started calling , for racial data .
And so , by the second week , more states were releasing this data .
And so we decided — my colleagues at the Antiracist Research and Policy Center started partnering with folks at the COVID Tracking Project to build what we call the COVID Racial Data Tracker .
And that was essentially to collect all of this data that was finally beginning to release by states all over this country , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to advocate for more states to release data and to collect it , to ingest it and to , of course , make it available for everyday Americans , so they can see racial disparities that are persisting to this day all over the country , and then , hopefully , use this data to protect and create policies for the most vulnerable communities , because all over the country Black people are disproportionately dying , Latinx people are disproportionately infected , Native people in states like Arizona are disproportionately dying , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Native Hawaiians are disproportionately infected in Hawaii .
You know , people of color are disproportionately being impacted by COVID-19 , as the data shows .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And , Dr. Kendi , New York City obviously was the epicenter of the virus in the United States , and initially there was a lot of attention focused on Manhattan and people fleeing Manhattan .
Then the focus shifted to Queens .
But , ultimately , now it ’ s been clear that the hardest-hit area of New York City , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Bronx , where 90 % of the population is African American and Latino , and that , by far , has the most percentage of infections , of deaths .
And your sense of how the focus of the coverage of the pandemic has been in the U.S. ?
IBRAM X. KENDI : Well , I mean , I think that early on , the coverage was , “ Oh , this is the great equalizer.
” And it certainly is the case that every American , no matter their race , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ethnicity and gender , can be infected , can die of COVID-19 .
But it seems like at least by the latter part of March , certainly by early April , that it was Latino Americans and African Americans and Native Americans in particular who were disproportionately being infected and dying .
And it really had to take many grassroots folks to begin demanding for racial data to even see this , because the states were refusing to do it .
Now , I will say many journalists , as well , particularly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we ’ ve worked with , also made demands of their states to release the data .
And then it began to start to roll out just how this was not the great equalizer .
AMY GOODMAN : I wanted to ask you about the Trump administration ’ s push to reopen the country .
This is top White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett speaking to CNN Sunday .
AMY GOODMAN : In response to this , Professor Kendi , you tweeted , “ This is jarring because my enslaved ancestors were literally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they were always told to go back to work .
This could be 1820.
” IBRAM X. KENDI : I mean , it ’ s devastating .
And I think for any American — Republican , Democrat , middle-income , low-income , poor , Black , white , Latino — I think this should be an indication of what the Trump administration thinks about you , that essentially they ’ re driving you back to work so their benefactors — so they — can make money .
And it ’ s just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ entity .
You are literally capital , just as my enslaved ancestors were .
And , you know , this isn ’ t hyperbole .
You know , in 1860 , 4 million enslaved people were worth more than any other body and anything of this country .
You had slave owners borrowing [ inaudible ] the number of enslaved people they had .
They were purchasing — they were using enslaved people as collateral .
And ultimately , they recognized that their wealth , their capital , came as a result of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as they see that today .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And I wanted to ask you also about the institutional populations that have been so hard hit , both in the prison and jail systems in the country and in senior citizen homes .
Again , the racial disparities are so stark that even among the elderly , those who were in senior citizen centers that were — I mean , in long-term facility centers that were largely African American and Latino , have a far higher death rate than those who were in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
IBRAM X. KENDI : Yes .
So , I think it ’ s certainly important for us to recognize that people of color are being disproportionately infected and killed by COVID-19 , but I think it ’ s important for us to also specialize what groups of people of color are being hit the hardest .
And so , without question , senior citizens of color , their homes are more likely to be sites of outbreaks than the majority-white homes .
Certainly , incarcerated people , and not just incarcerated people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are being held by ICE , are also being infected .
And even the homeless population , undocumented people .
I mean , this is — you know , all the people who have been driven to the bottom of the society are the people who are literally suffering in the shadows .
And we need to pull them out of the shadows and defend them .
AMY GOODMAN : And as the administration and the numbers go to 100,000 , clearly the number is far higher , because , among other things @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have died at home and not been counted .
And they definitely fall within the populations you ’ re tracking , Professor Kendi .
The Trump administration has resorted to blaming the dead , particularly African Americans , for the sky-high death rate .
This is Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar speaking with CNN ’ s Jake Tapper .
AMY GOODMAN : That ’ s Trump official Alex Azar speaking to Jake Tapper on CNN .
Your response , Professor Kendi ?
IBRAM X. KENDI : So , what ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of April , when more and more Americans realized that Black people were disproportionately dying , the first way to blame Black people was to say they were not socially distancing , they were not taking the virus seriously .
Survey data a month earlier had already disproven that .
But then it was hard to also make that case when white Americans overwhelmingly were protesting to reopen their states .
So then it became zeroed — they zeroed in on this idea that Black people have greater underlying conditions .
The problem @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shown that what ’ s more predictive of Black infection and death rates are access to medical care , access to high-quality healthcare — I should say access to health insurance — even air and water pollution , employment status .
All these social determinants of health are actually more predictive of Black death and infection rates than their underlying conditions .
AMY GOODMAN : Let me , finally , go to Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden , who has since apologized , but after facing a backlash for telling radio host Charlamagne @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ ain ’ t Black ” if he supported Trump .
Well , this is specifically what he said .
AMY GOODMAN : So , that ’ s Biden on The Breakfast Club , speaking with Charlamagne .
He apologized during a conference call with the U.S. Black Chambers .
Your final response , Professor Kendi ?
IBRAM X. KENDI : Well , as Charlamagne said , it doesn ’ t really have to do with Trump , particularly for young Black voters , who I call the other swing voters .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between voting Democrat or not voting at all , or even third party .
And so they ’ re trying to decide whether they ’ re going to vote for Biden .
Trump , for them , is not an option .
And so , when Biden says something like , “ Well , if you vote for Trump , then you ’ re somehow not Black , ” I think not only is it extremely harmful , because Black people are very sensitive about who ’ s Black — I mean , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of talking to us about slavery — but then also he doesn ’ t recognize that he ’ s running against himself with the young Black voters who voted for Obama and didn ’ t vote in 2016 .
AMY GOODMAN : We want to thank you so much for being with us , Ibram X. Kendi , professor of history and international relations , founding director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University in Washington , D.C. , National Book Award-winning author of Stamped from the Beginning : The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , also How to Be an Antiracist .
We look forward to your children ’ s book , which many parents can read to their kids , sheltering in place .
It ’ s titled Antiracist Baby .
All the best to you and your family , Ibram .
This is Democracy Now !
, democracynow.org , The War and Peace Report .
When we come back , we ’ ll talk about deaths in custody , in ICE custody .
Why are tens of thousands of immigrants still being held there during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ AMY GOODMAN : “ Mystery of the Planet ” by Moraes Moreira , who passed away in April .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The Quarantine Report. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González, as we continue our discussion with Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, award-winning author, professor of history and international relations, founding director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University.
Let’s turn now to the staggering toll the coronavirus is taking on African Americans in the United States. According to the COVID Racial Data Tracker, a collaboration between The Atlantic and the Antiracist Research and Policy Center, over 20,000 Black people have died due to COVID-19 infection, at a rate nearly twice that of the population share in the United States, this coming as the total U.S. death toll is at just about 100,000 and states rush to reopen their economies despite massive loss of life and warnings from public health experts.
Dr. Kendi, can you help — can you explain the COVID Racial Data Tracker?
IBRAM X. KENDI: Sure. So, in early April, only a handful of states had even released racial demographic data. So I called, and other people started calling, for racial data. And so, by the second week, more states were releasing this data. And so we decided — my colleagues at the Antiracist Research and Policy Center started partnering with folks at the COVID Tracking Project to build what we call the COVID Racial Data Tracker. And that was essentially to collect all of this data that was finally beginning to release by states all over this country, but not only that, to continue to advocate for more states to release data and to collect it, to ingest it and to, of course, make it available for everyday Americans, so they can see racial disparities that are persisting to this day all over the country, and then, hopefully, use this data to protect and create policies for the most vulnerable communities, because all over the country Black people are disproportionately dying, Latinx people are disproportionately infected, Native people in states like Arizona are disproportionately dying, and even Asian Americans in places like Alaska, Native Hawaiians are disproportionately infected in Hawaii. You know, people of color are disproportionately being impacted by COVID-19, as the data shows.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Dr. Kendi, New York City obviously was the epicenter of the virus in the United States, and initially there was a lot of attention focused on Manhattan and people fleeing Manhattan. Then the focus shifted to Queens. But, ultimately, now it’s been clear that the hardest-hit area of New York City, as I had suspected all along, was the Bronx, where 90% of the population is African American and Latino, and that, by far, has the most percentage of infections, of deaths. And your sense of how the focus of the coverage of the pandemic has been in the U.S.?
IBRAM X. KENDI: Well, I mean, I think that early on, the coverage was, “Oh, this is the great equalizer.” And it certainly is the case that every American, no matter their race, and even obviously now their age and ethnicity and gender, can be infected, can die of COVID-19.
But it seems like at least by the latter part of March, certainly by early April, that it was Latino Americans and African Americans and Native Americans in particular who were disproportionately being infected and dying. And it really had to take many grassroots folks to begin demanding for racial data to even see this, because the states were refusing to do it. Now, I will say many journalists, as well, particularly in states all over this country that we’ve worked with, also made demands of their states to release the data. And then it began to start to roll out just how this was not the great equalizer.
AMY GOODMAN: I wanted to ask you about the Trump administration’s push to reopen the country. This is top White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett speaking to CNN Sunday.
KEVIN HASSETT: Our capital stock hasn’t been destroyed. Our human capital stock is ready to get back to work. And so that there are lots of reasons to believe that we can get going way faster than we have in previous crises.
AMY GOODMAN: In response to this, Professor Kendi, you tweeted, “This is jarring because my enslaved ancestors were literally human capital stock. No matter what, they were always told to go back to work. This could be 1820.”
IBRAM X. KENDI: I mean, it’s devastating. And I think for any American — Republican, Democrat, middle-income, low-income, poor, Black, white, Latino — I think this should be an indication of what the Trump administration thinks about you, that essentially they’re driving you back to work so their benefactors — so they — can make money. And it’s just that simple. You are literally an entity. You are literally capital, just as my enslaved ancestors were.
And, you know, this isn’t hyperbole. You know, in 1860, 4 million enslaved people were worth more than any other body and anything of this country. You had slave owners borrowing [inaudible] the number of enslaved people they had. They were purchasing — they were using enslaved people as collateral. And ultimately, they recognized that their wealth, their capital, came as a result of the labor of those people, just as they see that today.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And I wanted to ask you also about the institutional populations that have been so hard hit, both in the prison and jail systems in the country and in senior citizen homes. Again, the racial disparities are so stark that even among the elderly, those who were in senior citizen centers that were — I mean, in long-term facility centers that were largely African American and Latino, have a far higher death rate than those who were in long-term care facilities that were largely white.
IBRAM X. KENDI: Yes. So, I think it’s certainly important for us to recognize that people of color are being disproportionately infected and killed by COVID-19, but I think it’s important for us to also specialize what groups of people of color are being hit the hardest. And so, without question, senior citizens of color, their homes are more likely to be sites of outbreaks than the majority-white homes. Certainly, incarcerated people, and not just incarcerated people in jails, but even people who are being held by ICE, are also being infected. And even the homeless population, undocumented people. I mean, this is — you know, all the people who have been driven to the bottom of the society are the people who are literally suffering in the shadows. And we need to pull them out of the shadows and defend them.
AMY GOODMAN: And as the administration and the numbers go to 100,000, clearly the number is far higher, because, among other things, of the number of people who have died at home and not been counted. And they definitely fall within the populations you’re tracking, Professor Kendi. The Trump administration has resorted to blaming the dead, particularly African Americans, for the sky-high death rate. This is Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar speaking with CNN’s Jake Tapper.
HHS SECRETARY ALEX AZAR: Unfortunately, the American population is a very diverse, and it is a — it is a population with significant unhealthy comorbidities, that do make many individuals in our communities, in particular African American, minority communities, particularly at risk here because of significant underlying disease, health disparities and disease comorbidities. And that is an unfortunate legacy in our healthcare system that we certainly do need to address. But, no, the response here in the United States has been historic to keep this within our healthcare capacity. Even in New York City to keep this within capacity is genuinely a historic result.
JAKE TAPPER: I want to give you an opportunity to clear it up, because it sounded like you were saying that the reason that there are so many dead Americans is because we’re unhealthier than the rest of the world, and I know that’s not what you meant.
HHS SECRETARY ALEX AZAR: Oh, no, I think that there is —
JAKE TAPPER: I mean —
HHS SECRETARY ALEX AZAR: We have significant — we have a significantly disproportionate burden of comorbidities in the United States — obesity, hypertension, diabetes. These are demonstrated facts that make — that do make us at risk for any type of disease burden.
JAKE TAPPER: Sure, of course. But that doesn’t mean it’s the fault of the American people that our government failed to —
HHS SECRETARY ALEX AZAR: Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness. Jake, Jake.
JAKE TAPPER: — take adequate steps in February.
AMY GOODMAN: That’s Trump official Alex Azar speaking to Jake Tapper on CNN. Your response, Professor Kendi?
IBRAM X. KENDI: So, what’s fascinating is, by the second week of April, when more and more Americans realized that Black people were disproportionately dying, the first way to blame Black people was to say they were not socially distancing, they were not taking the virus seriously. Survey data a month earlier had already disproven that. But then it was hard to also make that case when white Americans overwhelmingly were protesting to reopen their states.
So then it became zeroed — they zeroed in on this idea that Black people have greater underlying conditions. The problem with that argument is, studies have shown that what’s more predictive of Black infection and death rates are access to medical care, access to high-quality healthcare — I should say access to health insurance — even air and water pollution, employment status. All these social determinants of health are actually more predictive of Black death and infection rates than their underlying conditions.
AMY GOODMAN: Let me, finally, go to Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, who has since apologized, but after facing a backlash for telling radio host Charlamagne tha God that he, quote, “ain’t Black” if he supported Trump. Well, this is specifically what he said.
JOE BIDEN: You got more questions, but I tell you what, if you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t Black.
CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD: It don’t have nothing to do with Trump. It has to do with the fact I want something for my community. I would love to see —
JOE BIDEN: Take a look at my record, man. I extended the voting rights 25 years. I have a record that is second to none. The NAACP has endorsed me every time I’ve run. I mean, come on, take a look at the record.
AMY GOODMAN: So, that’s Biden on The Breakfast Club, speaking with Charlamagne. He apologized during a conference call with the U.S. Black Chambers. Your final response, Professor Kendi?
IBRAM X. KENDI: Well, as Charlamagne said, it doesn’t really have to do with Trump, particularly for young Black voters, who I call the other swing voters. And these are typically voters who are swinging between voting Democrat or not voting at all, or even third party. And so they’re trying to decide whether they’re going to vote for Biden. Trump, for them, is not an option. And so, when Biden says something like, “Well, if you vote for Trump, then you’re somehow not Black,” I think not only is it extremely harmful, because Black people are very sensitive about who’s Black — I mean, it’s almost at the level of talking to us about slavery — but then also he doesn’t recognize that he’s running against himself with the young Black voters who voted for Obama and didn’t vote in 2016.
AMY GOODMAN: We want to thank you so much for being with us, Ibram X. Kendi, professor of history and international relations, founding director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University in Washington, D.C., National Book Award-winning author of Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, also How to Be an Antiracist. We look forward to your children’s book, which many parents can read to their kids, sheltering in place. It’s titled Antiracist Baby. All the best to you and your family, Ibram.
This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. When we come back, we’ll talk about deaths in custody, in ICE custody. Why are tens of thousands of immigrants still being held there during this pandemic? Stay with us.
[break]
AMY GOODMAN: “Mystery of the Planet” by Moraes Moreira, who passed away in April.


democracynow--2020-05-27--From George Floyd to Chris Cooper: Ibram X. Kendi on "Racist Terror" Facing Black People in America

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : We ’ re going to Minneapolis right now , where police fired tear gas and rubber-coated bullets at thousands of demonstrators who gathered Tuesday to protest the killing of George Floyd , a 46-year-old African American man who died in police custody Monday after a white police officer pinned him to the ground .
A video circulated widely on social media shows Floyd gasping for air , saying , “ I can not breathe , ” while officer Derek Chauvin holds a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : The video is extremely graphic .
AMY GOODMAN : The video shows the officer continued to pin George Floyd to the pavement with his knee in over his neck even after Floyd became silent and still .
Four officers involved in Floyd ’ s killing were fired Tuesday .
The FBI has launched a federal civil rights investigation .
Minnesota authorities are also investigating .
“ I can ’ t breathe ” were the same last words Eric Garner said before he was killed by a police officer in Staten Island in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Frey .
AMY GOODMAN : George Floyd ’ s family says the officer should be charged with murder .
They ’ re being represented by civil rights lawyer Benjamin Crump — the family is — who said , quote , “ This abusive , excessive and inhumane use of force cost the life of a man who was being detained by the police for questioning about a nonviolent charge.
” This is Floyd ’ s brother Philonise speaking on CNN Tuesday .
AMY GOODMAN : Well , for more , we ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ professor of history and international relations , founding director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University , National Book Award-winning author of Stamped from the Beginning : The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America , his latest book , How to Be an Antiracist .
His forthcoming children ’ s book is titled Antiracist Baby .
It ’ s great to have you with us , Professor Kendi , but under terrible circumstances , from the pandemic to what we just see happened in Minneapolis .
Can you respond @ @ @ @ @ @ @ IBRAM X. KENDI : I mean , I think , like so many Americans , so many Black Americans , in particular , I ’ m just completely outraged .
And it ’ s certainly the case , as the mayor said , that when we cry out for help , other human beings should seek to help us .
But , essentially , the job of a police officer is to listen to those calls for help , is not to be our executioners .
And so , the fact that a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for help , that ’ s more — that ’ s even worse than any of us .
We ’ re not sworn to protect .
We ’ re not trained to hear those cries .
But police officers are .
And so , to me , you know , I ’ m outraged , like so many people who care about Black lives .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And , Professor Kendi , in this particular case , the actions of the mayor , not only in immediately firing the officer involved , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were on the scene — so often many of these cases of police abuse depend on the officer being able to get away with it because other members of the force , in essence , back them up through the blue wall of silence .
So , your reaction to how the city immediately moved on this case ?
IBRAM X. KENDI : So , I mean , I think , obviously , their firing was immediately warranted .
I think they should also be seeking to charge the officers with murder .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to consider : If we did not have a video , would the officers have been fired as quickly ?
Would they have believed all of those witnesses who were looking at what was happening and who was the asking officers to stop ?
But it ’ s not enough to fire the officers .
You literally need to root out other officers in the Minneapolis police force that have the capacity to do this , I mean , and just like all over this country .
It ’ s not enough to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ You know , we need to recognize that there ’ s something wrong with the tree .
AMY GOODMAN : I wanted to read Bernice King ’ s tweet , the youngest child of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King .
She tweeted a picture of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin with his knee on the neck of George Floyd , next to a picture of Colin Kaepernick taking a knee to peacefully protest deaths like this , for which he ’ s banned from the NFL .
Next to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ If you ’ re unbothered or mildly bothered by the 1st knee , but outraged by the 2nd , then , in my father ’ s words , you ’ re 'more devoted to order than to justice . '
” she said .
“ And more passionate about an anthem that supposedly symbolizes freedom than you are about a Black man ’ s freedom to live ” was her final part of that tweet .
Dr. Kendi , talk about that .
IBRAM X. KENDI : Oh , I just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statement and speaking certainly not only to her father ’ s legacy , but even Dr. King — Dr. Bernice King ’ s analysis of the situation .
I mean , fundamentally , Colin Kaepernick was kneeling for the freedom to live , you know , for the freedom to have equity , even for the freedom , as he would , I suspect , say now , from infection .
I mean , you know , Black people are — you know , we ’ re not only sort of — we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to run into the face of COVID-19 , only to run from COVID-19 into the face of racist terror .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And , Ibram Kendi , I wanted to ask you about the second video that we mentioned that went viral over Memorial Day weekend of this Amy Cooper , this New York resident in Central Park , calling — falsely calling police on Christian Cooper , when he urged her to leash her dog , and claiming he was assaulting her .
Franklin Templeton , the investment firm , subsequently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the same investment firm that fought the government of Puerto Rico over its bankruptcy , had no problem with creating massive distress for millions and millions of Puerto Ricans during their crisis , but now , because of the bad publicity , immediately fired Amy Cooper .
Your response to that particular incident ?
AMY GOODMAN : And let ’ s go to a clip of what exactly happened , the clip filmed by the man , Christian Cooper — no relation to Amy Cooper — a writer , editor and avid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New York City Audubon Society , who filmed this .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : The incident involving Amy Cooper and Christian Cooper .
When the police arrived on the scene , they arrested no one and issued no summons .
Your response , Ibram Kendi ?
IBRAM X. KENDI : Well , I think , first and foremost , it ’ s critical for us to recognize that oftentimes , too often , what Amy Cooper did is typically the beginning of racist terror .
And what happened to [ inaudible ] the end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a white woman weaponizing her white womanhood .
And instead of seeking to resolve a dispute with another person and actually follow the rules and leash her dog , instead she projects herself as the victim and then calls the cops , through that projection , so they can come and protect her .
And then , oftentimes , those cops actually believe that this white woman is being threatened by this so-called superpredator of an African American male .
And then , oftentimes , or too often , it leads to that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ killed .
I mean , the fact that we are talking about these two stories on the same day [ inaudible ] obviously did not lead to , you know , he is safe .
Too often , it leads to people being harmed .
And I don ’ t think white women should have the power to do that anymore .
AMY GOODMAN : Ibram Kendi , we ’ re going to break , and then we ’ re going to go back to you to talk about this COVID Racial [ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ developed .
Ibram Kendi is a professor of history and international relations and founding director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University in Washington , D.C. , also National Book Award-winning author of Stamped from the Beginning : The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America and , his latest book , How to Be an Antiracist .
Stay with us .
AMY GOODMAN : Miles Davis ’ s “ All Blues , ” featuring drummer Jimmy Cobb .
He passed away Sunday at the age of 91 of lung @ @

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: We’re going to Minneapolis right now, where police fired tear gas and rubber-coated bullets at thousands of demonstrators who gathered Tuesday to protest the killing of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man who died in police custody Monday after a white police officer pinned him to the ground.
A video circulated widely on social media shows Floyd gasping for air, saying, “I cannot breathe,” while officer Derek Chauvin holds a knee to his neck. A warning: The video is extremely graphic.
EYEWITNESS 1: You have your knee on his neck.
EYEWITNESS 2: You’ve got your knee right on his neck, officer.
EYEWITNESS 1: He ain’t even resisting arrest.
GEORGE FLOYD: I cannot breathe.
EYEWITNESS 3: Are you having fun?
GEORGE FLOYD: I cannot breathe.
EYEWITNESS 1: You’re just a grown — you’re a tough guy. You’re a tough guy, huh?
OFFICER TOU THAO: What’s that?
EYEWITNESS 1: I said he’s a tough guy. He’s not even resisting arrest, bro.
OFFICER TOU THAO: Did you get the whole part when we fought with him?
EYEWITNESS 1: But, bro, why are you just sitting there? He ain’t doing nothing now. Put him in the car.
GEORGE FLOYD: Don’t kill me. Don’t kill me.
AMY GOODMAN: The video shows the officer continued to pin George Floyd to the pavement with his knee in over his neck even after Floyd became silent and still. Four officers involved in Floyd’s killing were fired Tuesday. The FBI has launched a federal civil rights investigation. Minnesota authorities are also investigating. “I can’t breathe” were the same last words Eric Garner said before he was killed by a police officer in Staten Island in 2014. This is Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.
MAYOR JACOB FREY: Whatever the investigation reveals, it does not change the simple truth that he should be with us this morning. I believe what I saw, and what I saw was wrong at every level. … Being Black in America should not be a death sentence. For five minutes, we watched as a white officer pressed his knee into the neck of a Black man. For five minutes. When you hear someone calling for help, you are supposed to help. This officer failed in the most basic human sense. What happened on Chicago and 38th this last night is simply awful. It was traumatic. And it serves as a clear reminder of just how far we have to go.
AMY GOODMAN: George Floyd’s family says the officer should be charged with murder. They’re being represented by civil rights lawyer Benjamin Crump — the family is — who said, quote, “This abusive, excessive and inhumane use of force cost the life of a man who was being detained by the police for questioning about a nonviolent charge.” This is Floyd’s brother Philonise speaking on CNN Tuesday.
PHILONISE FLOYD: I loved my brother. Everybody loved my brother. Knowing my brother is to love my brother. They could have tased him. They could have maced him. Instead, they put their knee in his neck and just sat on him, and then carried on. He screamed, “Mama! Mama! I can’t breathe! I can’t breathe!” And they didn’t care. So, I don’t — I just don’t understand what more we’ve got to go through in life, man. They didn’t have to do that to him.
AMY GOODMAN: Well, for more, we’re joined by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, professor of history and international relations, founding director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University, National Book Award-winning author of Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, his latest book, How to Be an Antiracist. His forthcoming children’s book is titled Antiracist Baby.
It’s great to have you with us, Professor Kendi, but under terrible circumstances, from the pandemic to what we just see happened in Minneapolis. Can you respond to the killing of George Floyd?
IBRAM X. KENDI: I mean, I think, like so many Americans, so many Black Americans, in particular, I’m just completely outraged. And it’s certainly the case, as the mayor said, that when we cry out for help, other human beings should seek to help us. But, essentially, the job of a police officer is to listen to those calls for help, is not to be our executioners. And so, the fact that a police officer did not hear the cry for help, that’s more — that’s even worse than any of us. We’re not sworn to protect. We’re not trained to hear those cries. But police officers are. And so, to me, you know, I’m outraged, like so many people who care about Black lives.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Professor Kendi, in this particular case, the actions of the mayor, not only in immediately firing the officer involved, but also the three other officers who were on the scene — so often many of these cases of police abuse depend on the officer being able to get away with it because other members of the force, in essence, back them up through the blue wall of silence. So, your reaction to how the city immediately moved on this case?
IBRAM X. KENDI: So, I mean, I think, obviously, their firing was immediately warranted. I think they should also be seeking to charge the officers with murder. I also think that we really need to consider: If we did not have a video, would the officers have been fired as quickly? Would they have believed all of those witnesses who were looking at what was happening and who was the asking officers to stop?
But it’s not enough to fire the officers. You literally need to root out other officers in the Minneapolis police force that have the capacity to do this, I mean, and just like all over this country. It’s not enough to imagine that there are bad apples. You know, we need to recognize that there’s something wrong with the tree.
AMY GOODMAN: I wanted to read Bernice King’s tweet, the youngest child of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. She tweeted a picture of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin with his knee on the neck of George Floyd, next to a picture of Colin Kaepernick taking a knee to peacefully protest deaths like this, for which he’s banned from the NFL. Next to the pictures, King wrote, quote, “If you’re unbothered or mildly bothered by the 1st knee, but outraged by the 2nd, then, in my father’s words, you’re 'more devoted to order than to justice.'” she said. “And more passionate about an anthem that supposedly symbolizes freedom than you are about a Black man’s freedom to live” was her final part of that tweet. Dr. Kendi, talk about that.
IBRAM X. KENDI: Oh, I just think it was a powerful, powerful statement and speaking certainly not only to her father’s legacy, but even Dr. King — Dr. Bernice King’s analysis of the situation. I mean, fundamentally, Colin Kaepernick was kneeling for the freedom to live, you know, for the freedom to have equity, even for the freedom, as he would, I suspect, say now, from infection. I mean, you know, Black people are — you know, we’re not only sort of — we were running from racist terror, only to run into the face of COVID-19, only to run from COVID-19 into the face of racist terror.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Ibram Kendi, I wanted to ask you about the second video that we mentioned that went viral over Memorial Day weekend of this Amy Cooper, this New York resident in Central Park, calling — falsely calling police on Christian Cooper, when he urged her to leash her dog, and claiming he was assaulting her. Franklin Templeton, the investment firm, subsequently fired her. Interestingly, Franklin Templeton is the same investment firm that fought the government of Puerto Rico over its bankruptcy, had no problem with creating massive distress for millions and millions of Puerto Ricans during their crisis, but now, because of the bad publicity, immediately fired Amy Cooper. Your response to that particular incident?
AMY GOODMAN: And let’s go to a clip of what exactly happened, the clip filmed by the man, Christian Cooper — no relation to Amy Cooper — a writer, editor and avid bird watcher, a board member of New York City Audubon Society, who filmed this.
AMY COOPER: Could you please stop? Sir, I’m asking you to stop.
CHRISTIAN COOPER: Please don’t come close to me.
AMY COOPER: Sir, I’m asking you to stop recording me with your camera.
CHRISTIAN COOPER: Please don’t come close to me.
AMY COOPER: Please take your phone off.
CHRISTIAN COOPER: Please don’t come close to me.
AMY COOPER: Then I’m going to [inaudible]. I’m calling the cops.
CHRISTIAN COOPER: Please call the cops. Please call the cops.
AMY COOPER: I’m going to tell them there’s an African American man threatening my life.
CHRISTIAN COOPER: Please tell them whatever you like.
AMY COOPER: Excuse me? I’m sorry, I’m in the Ramble, and there is a man, African American. He has a bicycle helmet. He’s recording me and threatening me and my dog. There is an African American man. I am in Central Park. He is recording me and threatening myself and my dog. And like — I’m sorry, I can’t hear you, either. I’m being threatened by a man in the Ramble. Please send the cops immediately! I’m in Central Park in the Ramble. I don’t know!
CHRISTIAN COOPER: Thank you.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: The incident involving Amy Cooper and Christian Cooper. When the police arrived on the scene, they arrested no one and issued no summons. Your response, Ibram Kendi?
IBRAM X. KENDI: Well, I think, first and foremost, it’s critical for us to recognize that oftentimes, too often, what Amy Cooper did is typically the beginning of racist terror. And what happened to [inaudible] the end. In other words, you have a white woman weaponizing her white womanhood. And instead of seeking to resolve a dispute with another person and actually follow the rules and leash her dog, instead she projects herself as the victim and then calls the cops, through that projection, so they can come and protect her. And then, oftentimes, those cops actually believe that this white woman is being threatened by this so-called superpredator of an African American male. And then, oftentimes, or too often, it leads to that unarmed victim ultimately becoming harmed or even killed. I mean, the fact that we are talking about these two stories on the same day [inaudible] obviously did not lead to, you know, he is safe. Too often, it leads to people being harmed. And I don’t think white women should have the power to do that anymore.
AMY GOODMAN: Ibram Kendi, we’re going to break, and then we’re going to go back to you to talk about this COVID Racial [Data] Tracker that you’ve developed. Ibram Kendi is a professor of history and international relations and founding director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University in Washington, D.C., also National Book Award-winning author of Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America and, his latest book, How to Be an Antiracist. Stay with us.
[break]
AMY GOODMAN: Miles Davis’s “All Blues,” featuring drummer Jimmy Cobb. He passed away Sunday at the age of 91 of lung cancer.


democracynow--2020-05-27--Headlines for May 27, 2020

Headlines for May 27, 2020

In Minneapolis , police fired tear gas and rubber-coated bullets at thousands of demonstrators who gathered Tuesday to protest the @ @ @ @ @ an African American man who was killed by a white police officer on Monday .
@ @ @ @ @ social media shows Floyd gasping for air and telling the officers “ I can not @ @ @ @ @ Derek Chauvin pins him to the pavement with a knee to his neck .
A @ @ @ @ @ extremely graphic .
Eyewitness 1 : “ But , bro , why are you just @ @ @ @ @ ’ t doing nothing now .
Put him in the car.
” Officer Chauvin continued @ @ @ @ @ pavement with his knee for several minutes , even after Floyd became silent and still @ @ @ @ @ the Hennepin County Medical Center , where he was pronounced dead .
The four officers @ @ @ @ @ s killing were fired Tuesday , and the FBI has launched a federal civil rights @ @ @ @ @ also investigating .

In Minneapolis, police fired tear gas and rubber-coated bullets at thousands of demonstrators who gathered Tuesday to protest the killing of George Floyd, an African American man who was killed by a white police officer on Monday. A video circulated widely on social media shows Floyd gasping for air and telling the officers “I cannot breathe,” while officer Derek Chauvin pins him to the pavement with a knee to his neck. A warning: The video is extremely graphic.
Eyewitness 1: “You have your knee on his neck.”
Eyewitness 2: “You’ve got your knee right on his neck, officer.”
Eyewitness 1: “He ain’t even resisting arrest.”
George Floyd: “I cannot breathe.”
Eyewitness 3: “Are you having fun?
George Floyd: “I cannot breathe.
Eyewitness 1: “You’re just a grown — you’re a tough guy. You’re a tough guy, huh?
Officer Tou Thao: “What’s that?”
Eyewitness 1: “I said he’s a tough guy. He’s not even resisting arrest, bro.”
Officer Tou Thao: “Did you get the whole part when we fought with him?”
Eyewitness 1: “But, bro, why are you just sitting there? He ain’t doing nothing now. Put him in the car.”
George Floyd: “Don’t kill me. Don’t kill me.”
Officer Chauvin continued to pin Floyd to the pavement with his knee for several minutes, even after Floyd became silent and still. Floyd was taken to the Hennepin County Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. The four officers involved in George Floyd’s killing were fired Tuesday, and the FBI has launched a federal civil rights investigation. Minnesota authorities are also investigating.