A Word: Cancelling the “Black Friend” Excuse

Slate Daily Feed

Your barista, your golf buddy, your ex-college roommate...just because you are friendly with a Black person doesn’t mean you’re friends. And even if you are, you can still be a racist. Scholar Khalil Gibran Muhammad explores the “Black buddy” myth of racial healing this through his podcast “Some of My Best Friends Are…”, which he co-hosts with his white best friend, Ben Austen. On today’s episode of A Word, Muhammad joins Jason Johnson to talk about interracial friendships, and evolving views about how they reflect racial progress in America.

Guest: Khalil Gibran Muhammad is a historian, author, and the co-host of “Some of My Best Friends Are…,” a new podcast on the Pushkin network.

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel and Jasmine Ellis

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