Derek Black was following in his father's footsteps in the world of white nationalism until he had a change of heart, realizing the value of inclusive friendships and equity for all people.

In a recent interview, he stated, "...white supremacy is the society we live in.  What is our society when wealth is vastly disproportionately held by white people, when we have the most multiracial country in the history of our nation and yet white people dominate in all chambers of government, in academia, in vastly above their numbers and that doesn't seem to be changing very fast.  If power and wealth is held by a group that one day is going to be one of the smaller minority of the county, what do you call it?...not justice and fairness...it's not something that includes everybody...it's something that privileges white people unfairly...and that's a white supremacy society.  And it's not a society that's better for white people, which is counter intuitive. But an unfair, unjust society is not one you want to live in, especially if that imbalance is going to get worse overtime."

How do we create a more inclusive environment for the communities we serve and within our own profession?  By opening our ears and hearts to contrary perspectives, empowering ourselves with knowledge and experiences, nurturing relationships and building bridges...efforts that require building trust and an investment in time.

Listen to the On Being Studios interview hosted by Krista Tippett as she explores the transformative friendship between Derek Black and his Jewish friend Matthew Stevenson at https://onbeing.org/programs/how-friendship-and-quiet-conversations-tran...

Also listen to and read the Fresh Air interview conducted by Terry Gross as she learns from Derek more about his prior efforts to re-brand white supremacy with the term "white nationalism" and with Eli Saslow, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, who has just published a book on Derek's rejection of the white nationalism movement.  https://www.npr.org/2018/09/24/651052970/how-a-rising-star-of-white-nati...