Claudia Rankine is a poet, essayist, and playwright. She is the author of the new book, Just Us: An American Conversation.“I began to wonder, why am I maintaining civility around things that are actually very important to me? This might be the only chance I get to stand up for myself. As Claudia. As a Black person. As a Black woman. As an American citizen. So what am I waiting for? What am I preserving when the thing I am supposedly preserving is also the thing that is on some level killing me?” Thanks to Mailchimp for sponsoring this week's episode. Show notes: Rankine on Longform Just Us: An American Conversation (Graywolf Press • 2020) Citizen: An American Lyric (Graywolf Press • 2014) 4:00 "The Meaning of Serena Williams" (New York Times Magazine • Aug 2015) 4:00 "I Wanted to Know What White Men Thought About Their Privilege. So I Asked." (New York Times Magazine • July 2019) 4:00 On Being: Claudia Rankine 43:00 "Black Newborns More Likely to Die When Looked After By White Doctors" (Rob Picheta • CNN • Aug 2020)   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices