Ramesh Nagarajah: Reflections From a Token Black Friend
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My guest today is Ramesh Nagarajah. Ramesh is a recent graduate of the US Naval Academy and a newly commissioned 2nd Lt in the United States Marine Corps. He is also the author of the recently viral article, Reflections From a Token Black Friend.
In this episode, Ramesh and I discuss the importance of honest exposure to different cultures, how racism should be defined, virtue signaling, tangible actions people can take to make a difference, how to start a conversation on race, and much more. This was an eye opening conversation with a gracious, caring, patient, intelligent, and all around excellent human being.
Selected links from the show:
Show notes:
01:02 - The magic of writing online
04:33 - Ramesh's background (high school, college)
06:15 - Ramesh's military commitment and future
09:45 - What is a token black friend?
11:48 - What is code switching?
16:34 - The importance of good messaging
"I think black boys are told their potential pretty early in life - whether it's accurate or not. It's usually not."
20:10 - The importance of honest exposure to different cultures
24:01 - Specific examples of ignorance and prejudice
27:12 - How racism should be defined
31:03 - What is systemic racism?
35:15 - How to make school funding more equitable
38:00 - How to correct individual racism with urgency and patience
"Learning how to have a hard conversation about race is going to be helpful in having a hard conversation about anything else - which we need to be better about."
45:10 - The idea of building golden bridges in conversations
46:25 - Ramesh's thoughts on virtue signaling
"I want it to be cool for people to support Black Lives Matter...the same way I'm a huge patriot. I want it to be cool to love America, even if you recognize all her flaws."
52:02 - Four things white people can do to make a difference
57:00 - How to start a conversation on race
59:30 - The kindest thing anyone has ever done for Ramesh
1:00:50 - Where you can connect with Ramesh
