theGrio Daily, Michael Harriot

"There are two America's, a white one and even whiter one." Wypipologist Michael Harriot takes us back to the years before the Civil War and details some of the most racist laws you've likely never heard of.    Music provided by Transition Music 

"Black excellence has as much to do with the supremacy of whiteness as it has to do with the excellence of Blackness." Wypipologist Michael Harriot talks about the few Black billionaires in America to dismantle the argument that if one Black person is successful then oppression no longer exists.

"What does reparations have to do with white people?" People love to use the post hoc fallacy against Black people and Wypipologist Michael Harriot explains why the assumption that one event preceded another event, so they must be related makes it easy to believe in racist policies. Music Provided By Transition Music 

"It's not just white people it's conservatives, they are the Dr. Frankenstein in this analogy"  Society can't agree on much but we can all agree that monsters aren't real, they're fiction that's created. Michael Harriot tackles some of the biggest arguments used by conservatives pointing out that they're just monsters, using fictitious theories made up to scare us. 

“Police officers are upholding a system and the criticisms are of the system and not individual police officers.” A cop on theGrio Daily with Michael Harriot? Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn protected the U.S. Capitol and democracy on January 6th, 2021; now, he's on a quest for truth. Officer Dunn shares his recollection of the violence that unfolded during the riot, how it changed him, and the...

"Racism takes not just a mental toll, not just a societal toll, not just an economic toll on the citizens of America but we have to bear a physical burden, it's an actual weight that we have to carry." The idea that racism is a disease is no longer just a metaphorical concept but is instead now proven by medical science. Michael Harriot explains the research that began in the 1970s that led to thi...

"In a state that had been decimated economically by the Civil War, they found a cash cow, the mass incarceration system."  The United States incarcerates more people than any other nation in the world, and Black and Latino people are disproportionately affected by mass incarceration. Michael Harriot explains why that reality is intentional and began with "Black codes" following the Civil War.

"It's not just about fairness, it's about making your product as good as it can be." Michael Harriot debunks the myth that any attempt at equity is an attempt to achieve equality of outcome. This concept simply isn't possible because minorities are subject to economic, social, political and educational deficits that white people do not experience.

The power of education was not lost on enslaved people; despite the threat of death, they taught themselves to read and write. Michael Harriot explains Black people's crucial role in creating America's public school system. 

"A lot of the things we think of as conservative aren't really conservative; they're just white." The term conservative has come to mean certain things, yet the policies they support don't often back their ideologies. For instance, it makes no sense to say you support small government but then back pro-life policies that are ultimately the federal government telling a woman what to do. Michael Har...

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"White Jesus can't walk on water, but he can build the hell out a slave ship." Michael Harriot explains why using religion and faith as a way to govern can be problematic. He discusses the many hypocrisies that are inflicted on the American people daily, including discriminating against the LGBTQ+ community but allowing divorce or racial segregation when the Bible states, "love thy neighbor." 

"Every white person in America benefited from slavery." White Americans pedal several narratives about slavery that are historically inaccurate. Wypipologist Michael Harriot lists off some of the falsehoods and reveals the truth behind the most wild claims. Thanks to our loyal listeners for making theGrio Daily a Lovie Awards finalist in the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion category. Click here to ca...

Thanks to our loyal listeners for making theGrio Daily a Signal Awards finalist in the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion category. Click this link to cast your vote and help us bring in the win! https://vote.signalaward.com/ "Never in the history of America have white people actually participated in a free market." Michael Harriot refutes the theory that slavery was rooted in capitalism. He analyzes r...

Thanks to our loyal listeners for making theGrio Daily a Signal Awards finalist in the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion category. Click this link to cast your vote and help us bring in the win! "You can't keep a Black person out of any place." Michael Harriot brings the laughs with his list of people you're bound to run into at every Black gathering. Which one are you?    Drumroll sound effect from P...

"What they're worrying about is your kids learning about what white people did." Michael Harriot looks at the changes to school curriculums in places like Florida and Tennessee and finds that states aren't erasing Black history; instead, schools are leaving out white people's role in Black history.

"Black people see America in a different way." Michael Harriot wrote a book, y'all! Black AF History is the story of America through the lens of Black people. When it comes to history, we rely on historians to give us the facts, but because most of them are white, a lot has been left out. Slave revolts, the American Revolution, and the Obama presidency are just some of the historical events reexam...

"HBCUs do more with less." All month long theGrio is highlighting HBCU life, and Michael Harriot welcomes Ed Smith-Lewis from United Negro College Fund to discuss an exciting new investment that will enrich the college experience for students nationwide. The HBCU Transformation Project has received a $124M investment from Blue Meridian Partners to increase enrollment, improve efficiency, and resto...

"We were incorporated into a white-controlled society." The legal case Brown v. Board of Education is considered a pivotal moment in integrating white and Black America. Michael Harriot is here to tell you we're still not integrated. 

"We gotta go take back stuff that white people have taken from us because that's what they do." Michael Harriot looks at the hypocrisy surrounding the Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action that claims to rid race-based admissions policies but keeps legacy and athletic favoritism that benefit white students. Anytime Black people advanced in America, it's because they demanded it; maybe that ti...

"If most of America were against slavery, then we would have ended the practice without a war." Every civilized society has had some form of slavery, but America is the only nation in modern history that constitutionally approved reducing people to chattel through an international human trafficking system. As Michael Harriot breaks down the history of America's race-based slavery system, he analyz...

"We can't be surprised when a racist does something racist in a racist country." Michael Harriot and fellow podcast host Dr. Christina Greer discuss the deadly shooting in Jacksonville, Florida that killed three Black people. Dr. Greer has strong ties to the area and describes the racist history that her family experienced firsthand. The pair also analyze Florida's recent anti-Black policies that...

"The N-word is a specific choice that is used to hurt somebody; it is the knife." Michael Harriot explains why there is no version of the "N-word" for white people. Despite some arguing that "Karen" or "cracker" is equally insulting, the words can't compare because white people have not been subject to the same disenfranchisement and inhumanity that Black Americans have.

"There is no form of American music that Black people didn't create." This episode is going to make you laugh and dance all at the same time. Michael Harriot breaks down the top ten Black people music categories, including "old people music," "fight song music," and more.  Credits:  “Turn It Up” Rare Essence and Dj Kool  INgrooves, Rare One Records Rob “R.J.” Folson and Rare Essence “Congo Drum” ...

"We didn't invent race, so I don't know where we got the card from." Michael Harriot dives deep into some widely-held beliefs that white people have about race and identity. Michael Harriot addresses white concepts like race-baiting, playing the "race card," Black people playing the "victim," and more.