The Talk: Perspectives On Being Black In America
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Gary May, Lori Waldon & Marcus Crowder (left to right)
CapRadio Staff
The March 2018 death of Stephon Clark put Sacramento under the microscope as another American city marred by deadly police violence against unarmed black men. In the time since, there have been protests, tense City Council meetings and legislative movement. Earlier this month, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 392, a law that gives clearer standards for when police can use deadly force.
Clark’s death also revealed wider conversations about what it means to be black in America and here in Sacramento. Insight continued those discussions by talking with black community leaders willing to share how their personal experiences have shaped their lives and careers.
UC Davis Chancellor Gary May Discusses Leadership, Experiences Of Racism
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Sometimes Gary May reminds his daughters that it wasn’t so long ago that his parents — their grandparents — were forced to sit on the back of the bus. The UC Davis Chancellor says that while much progress has been achieved over three generations, we still have a ways to go.
In an interview from June 2018, May discussed his role as a leader in education and his vision for the UC Davis community. He reflected on the racism he’s experienced both as a child and professionally, and shares how his parents handled talks about racism.
Former KCRA News Director Lori Waldon Reflects On Upbringing, Breaking Barriers
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Berkeley native Lori Waldon grew up with the message that she needed to be exceptional. She was the first African-American news director in Milwaukee and in the entire state of Wisconsin before she was named news director of KCRA TV in Sacramento. She left that position in fall 2018 for a move to New Mexico, where she’s now president and general manager of KOAT TV.
In June 2018, we spoke with Waldon about her upper-middle class upbringing in 1960s Berkeley. She also talked about how working outside of California gave her new perspectives on life and revealed a kind of overt racism she hadn’t experienced.
Arts Critic Marcus Crowder Shares His Perspective
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For nearly 20 years, Marcus Crowder was the theater critic at the Sacramento Bee. He was one of only a handful of African-American writers who held that title at a major newspaper. In May 2018, Crowder joined us in the studio to talk about his career with the Sacramento Bee, the lens he brings to his writing and personal experiences with police profiling.
