This episode is a first in the Blackseat - non-Black people have been invited to participate in the discussion. This episode is launching on the day we celebrate the birthday of civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Laws prohibiting interracial relationships were deemed unconstitutional in June 1967, just nine months before Dr. King’s assassination. 

Nearly six decades later, while these relationships are more accepted, racism in this country means that there can still be trouble. I bent my rule, in order to hear from Berta and Brian Hamilton, and Ryane and Joe Granados. They spoke candidly about their love stories, and how the husbands learned more about the Black experience through their wives. This adds an extra layer of challenge, and they are quite honest about that.

They also offer sage advice for those who are considering crossing the color lines to find love, share their Black heroes and heroines, and Berta and Ryane share their definitions of Blackness. Buckle up let’s go!

One of the best contemporary storytellers is in the Blackseat for this episode. 

I got a chance to sit down with THE Michael Harriot!

He is everything you think he would be - funny, sharp, self-deprecating, intelligent, all of the good adjectives. We talked about his path to where he is now, whether Black folks should share certain parts of our culture, his views on integration and his stint as an organized crime boss. 

Oh, and he bought a plantation. Whaaaaaaaaaaa???? Buckle up - let's go!

Dr. Jeanne Aston-Baynes is a professor of Africana Studies at Eastern Washington University, near Spokane, Washington. During our initial conversation, when she mentioned where she worked, it sparked something: isn't that where Rachel Dolezal taught?

"Yes, I shared an office with her." Yep, she shared an office with the infamous professor who made news as a white woman who had been pretending to be Black (referring to herself as transracial).

That's when I knew I HAD to have her in the Blackseat. Our conversation didn't just focus on Rachel Dolezal, however (though we DEFINITELY talked about her!) It expanded to the concept of identity, the issues she has faced teaching Black history to mostly white students in a very white area, and the difference between appropriation and appreciation. If you're ready, buckle up - let's go!