July 21 - Why Whites Cling to the Fiction that Race is no Longer a Problem; Building on the President's Rhetoric on Race Relations; An Israeli Calls for a Boycott

Full Program

Part 1

We begin with a response to President Obama’s recent remarks on race and a reaction to the demonstrations taking place across the country in response to the verdict acquitting George Zimmerman for shooting the unarmed black teenage Trayvon Martin. Charles Gallagher, a professor of Sociology and the Chair of the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at La Salle University and author of “Below the Belt: Race, Ethnicity, Labor and Politics in a Changing Sunbelt” joins us to discuss why a lot of whites cling to the fiction that race relations are no longer a problem in America.

Part 2

Then we speak with Obery Hendricks, a Visiting Scholar in Religion and African American Studies at Columbia University and author of “The Universe Bends Towards Justice: Radical Reflections on the Bible, the Church and the Body Politic”. We discuss how the president might build on his powerful speeches on race that many feel do not go sufficiently beyond rhetoric to address the reality of race relations in America brought into focus but the flagrantly unjust murder of Trayvon Martin and the acquittal of his killer.

Part 3

Then finally we go to Israel to speak with Gideon Levy, a columnist for Ha’aritz and author of “The Punishment of Gaza”. His recent article “The Israeli Patriot’s Final Refuge: Boycott” has gained international attention and might have broken the law in Israel. With peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians resuming tentatively and reluctantly, we discuss Gideon Levy’s contention that change won’t come from within unless Israel pays a price for the occupation.