Radio Hall of Fame inductee and best-selling author Charlamagne Tha God - one of the most distinctive voices in modern culture - is poised to move the painfully stubborn needle on race relations in America.
Introducing We’ve Got Answers, Charlamagne’s self-described "safe space for unsafe questions," where America’s most basic, sincere, and yes, at times, ignorant questions about Black America get unequivocally answered. With riveting, unfiltered conversation between today’s most prominent Black thought leaders in their field and author, James Altucher, We’ve Got Answers is essential listening for all. Its lasting power is derived from not only confronting hard truths, but providing a path forward. Are you ready to listen?
We've Got Answers, features today’s leading Black experts and thought leaders in their field, including Nina Turner, Tezlyn Figaro, Bishop William Barber II, Eboni K. Williams, Corey Minor Smith, Dr. Claud Anderson, Tamika D. Mallory, Jamila T. Davis, Nuri Muhammad, Dr. Alfiee Breland-Noble, Eric Adams, Erika Alexander, and David Banner.
Would have appreciated a piece by James Altucher at the end reflecting on what he'd learned from the interviewing process as a whole. Otherwise, really good and important conversations that I'm glad I got a chance to listen to.
The first thing that comes to mind is I want to find these interviewees and read more about them. This work is so intriguing and as is their backgrounds. The answers are forward-thinking and dive right into the state of the world today. The interviews have me reading books, doing research, and looking up movies. This should be required reading for college students.
Confrontational and informative conversations from thought leaders in the Black community that go deep into the historical and continual ways racism impacts people of color. Luminary James Baldwin once said, "“I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain., and so much of this work described is dealing with the unrecognized structural problems that black americans deal with daily.
The range of interviews is really diverse, taking on areas of inequity with education, health care, status, employment opportunities, nutrition and policing.
Although it was nice to have a guide with James, he did seem some of the questions were sort of simple, and think there could have been more exploration of more complex questions. Very little pushback to the interview subjects were given, and it creates a platform without a lot of real discussion.
Areas I would have liked to hear more about were policing, markets and technology. The difficult questions of when officers are justifiable in using deadly forced should have been addressed. Not all police actions are categorically the same.
Also, as we grapple with history, how do we take into account the positive impacts of markets and founding principles that push personal freedom. Surely most of us on the libertarian side of the political spectrum value market and freedom of expression, and their clash with progressive values could have been discussed.
Finally, the issue of addressing technology was sorely mixed. It's role in limiting human bias and machine's role in deciphering statistical inequities could have provided data-based perspectives on this challenging subject.
Regardless, a fascinating and difficult set of lectures, and hopefully a project that sparked curiosity and advocating for many more.
I am so grateful & impressed with the range of incredible people (some new to me & that will stay with me!) interviewed & their refreshingly candid answers (to some softball & some tough questions). Didn't care for the interviewee but he got the job done & I suppose (trust) that Charlemagne had his reasons in his selection. This book provides some hard truths & calls to action for individuals, Black & white.
In today’s time of reckoning with racism this is a must to Audible Original. We are so far behind truly listening to black voices. I admit some of the interviews I was in tune with and some shook me up and made me take notice. I never considered the fact that African Americans (as most interviewed associated with) called for their own place as in ‘Little Africa’ within the US. Just like ‘little Italy’ ‘German Town’ or ‘China Town’. I wish the question in regards to the treatment on Native Americans would have been brought up as well as in how this was correlated in how whites dealt with blacks compared to Native Americans. So I did have more questions but admit I got answers to some questions I never saw coming. So this white girl still has a lot to learn and I feel we need to keep this conversation going even when it becomes very uncomfortable. Many live with this discomfort every day after all.
This is quite possibly one of the most important books I’ve read/listened to. Often times, white people discuss race as a topic that isn’t ongoing and caused by white people. These interviews not only give a perspective into what being Black means to Black people from several backgrounds in America but also what it means worldwide. James purposefully asks some ignorant questions and the interviewees answer him. A lot of what is said is hard to swallow if you’re white but it’s important to absorb it and LISTEN to what these people are saying. Racism in America will likely never end but conversations like this help those willing to listen and learn.
Collection of interviews of "Blacksperts" about racism - a variety of people with interesting backgrounds but not all demonstrated a mastery of information & several were preachy & repetitive. Alan & I listened to it on our way back to NV.
For each chapter you get to go down a personal rabbit hole of that individual’s experience whether it be from their profession or life most often both of their interactions and their ways of explaining how we can help understand the black racial divide. Professionals that speak on their own topics include lawyers, politicians, and other public figures. The reason I didn’t get five stars, I would like to be able to see each chapter list what the topic is and who is speaking on that topic.
An outstanding compilation of necessary and thought provoking conversations. I’m encouraged to go further and listen on more from many of them. Highly recommended especially for activists and those genuinely interested in other points of view and the hard truth. I look forward to another production from Charlamagne and James.