Francesca Maximé welcomes Dante King for a conversation around the history of systemic racism and white supremacy that leaves Black people with no exit from oppression.
Dante King is a Workforce, Learning & Organizational Development professional, specializing in the implementation of equity, diversity, inclusion, social justice, and implicit/unconscious bias educational training, with more than 15 years of experience. Throughout his career he has gained expertise in designing, developing, and delivering a combination of retreats, classes, and seminars. Learn more about Dante and his work at danteking.com.
No Exit
Francesca introduces Dante and his workshops which help people come into realization about the systems of oppression at work in America. Dante talks about how law-making and capitalism are tools of racism, and what it’s like to have no exit from oppression.
“I attempt to bring people to a point of understanding the uniqueness around anti-blackness and anti-black racism.” – Dante King
Francesca Maximé and Dr. Janet E. Helms explore the historical roots of whiteness and systemic racism on ReRooted Ep. 32
A Psychopathic Law (14:37)
Dante covers specific examples of laws enacted in the 1600s which set the foundation for systemic racism and white supremacy. This includes a psychopathic law known as the Casual Killing Act, which essentially made murdering Black people legal. Francesca and Dante trace the effects of these laws into the present day, and how they contributed to the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless others.
“It’s a right of passage, the right of passage to inflict pain and violence and murder onto Black bodies, and not feel anything. It’s for sport, if you will.” – Dante King
Understanding Privilege and Power (48:15)
Francesca asks Dante for details about the workshops he runs and his strategy for working with people to help them better understand privilege and power. Dante talks about the societal changes he’d like to see happen.
“The systems have to be dismantled and rearranged in order to provide people with the opportunity to see each other and recognize each other’s humanity.” – Dante King
