One year ago today black motorist Philando Castile was fatally shot at the hands of a police officer. The aftermath of the incident was captured and broadcast in real-time by his girlfriend and fueled an ongoing conversation about racial tension and police violence in the United States. The event struck a particular chord with Kerra Bolton, a black writer and artist, who had witnessed the impact of police violence firsthand as a teenager.
Bolton began to speak out about her experience and encourage others in her life to share their own stories and take a stance. This sparked an ongoing conversation between Bolton and A.J. Hartley, a white male scholar and writer who she had recently met at a writing conference. The two began to correspond through email and video chat and eventually decided to formalize these messy, uncomfortable and thought-provoking conversations that covered race, gender, politics, writing and more. The two co-founded the project “In Good Faith: Messy Conversations About Race in Black & White” that aims to create a space fordialoguein which individuals must leave their silos and comfort zones.
Host Frank Stasiotalks with Bolton and Hartley about the origins and evolution of the project. They are in the process of raising money to publish an e-book and podcast series.
Copyright 2017 North Carolina Public Radio
