Barry Thomas on Racially Motivated Incidents & Media in the U.S.

In this episode. We explore America’s ongoing and persistent issues when it comes to race and social justice... in particular how race can be weaponized… sometimes with deadly consequences.

Our guest is Barry Thomas, Professional Educator – Community Advocate & Activist in Omaha, Nebraska, who is concerned about issues related to race within the country… and has dedicated his time to addressing these issues.

When Barry and I initially talked, it was a few days after the arrest of the two men accused of killing Ahmaud Arbery, the man who was chased down and killed in Georgia while on a jog.

Since the recording… our nation now faces other incidents of the weaponizing of race… including a white woman dubbed Central Park Becky threatening to tell police that a black man was threatening her… after he asked her to leash her dog in a sensitive area of the park.

The second incident caught on camera this week ended far more tragically. George Floyd lost his life while in police custody, after an officer took him to the ground and held a knee on his neck for several minutes. On mobile phone video… Floyd can be heard saying that he cannot breathe. The officer did not move… and soon Floyd was not moving, either.

Though these incidents happened after our interview… they are relevant to our discussion.

This episode is Part One of my interview with Barry Thomas… as we explore the role of cell phone video, social media, and media coverage of these incidents.

Next week, we’ll delve deeper into the soul of the U.S…. and why these incidents and issues persist.