Michele Norris, a host and special correspondent for National Public Radio, said she has discovered it is the “little things” that count in the present-day discussion of race in America.
In front of a crowd of approximately 150 people at the Distinguished Lecture Series in Union South Monday, Norris joked she often receives the most phone calls and emails from reporters during the month of February, which is Black History Month.
“When you are a person of color, there’s an expectation that if someone needs a little advice or to cover something, they’ll call you,” she said.
Between 2002 to 2011, Norris hosted NPR’s program “All Things Considered.” On the show, she and correspondent Steve Inskeep did a series called “Race and the 2008 Vote,” during which the two asked small groups of people questions about race, such as whether or not white Americans underestimate their privilege, and if black Americans make too big a deal of race.
Norris said the series was especially exciting for her because it fostered an open and honest conversation about race, something she had never experienced before.
Her book, “The Grace of Silence,” was originally intended to be a memoir, but ended up consisting largely of feedback she received after deciding she wanted to explore more about how Americans address race.
“The contest that led up to election of Obama ‘unleashed’ some of this these stories people had kept to themselves, stories of pains, dreams … and suddenly they were all coming out,” Norris said.
After she released the book, Norris said she worried about how to go out on the road and discuss the book, as she realized many people were often uncomfortable talking about race.
For this reason, she decided to literally “play the race card.” While traveling, Norris distributed cards and asked people to reflect on race, and then reduce their thoughts to one sentence of only six words.
The “Race Card Project” has since grown into a worldwide discussion. Some responses she shared at the lecture included: “never had playdate with black girl,” “racism stole my son from me” and “without colors rainbows would not exist.”
