‘There Is A Fight Going On’: Joy Reid On America’s Racial History

Joy says, “too many people want to keep Americans blindly numb to the raw, racial violence in our collective past. They want Americans to just shut up and feel good about America’s founding, and sing from the hymnal so they don't have to think about dealing with the repercussions of our true history and the need for repair.”
» Subscribe to MSNBC:

About The ReidOut with Joy Reid: Joy Reid conducts one-on-one conversations with politicians and newsmakers while addressing provocative political issues both inside and outside of the beltway. Reid, who is also a best-selling author and public speaker, joined MSNBC in 2011 as a contributor. Drawing from her decades-long experience in politics, passion for addressing the intersection of race, justice and culture, as well as her signature tenacious interviewing style, Reid kicks off MSNBC’s primetime lineup by delving into American politics as it unfolds.

MSNBC delivers breaking news, in-depth analysis of politics headlines, as well as commentary and informed perspectives. Find video clips and segments from The Rachel Maddow Show, Morning Joe, Meet the Press Daily, The Beat with Ari Melber, Deadline: White House with Nicolle Wallace, Hardball, All In, Last Word, 11th Hour, and more.

Connect with MSNBC Online
Visit msnbc.com:
Subscribe to MSNBC Newsletter:
Find MSNBC on Facebook:
Follow MSNBC on Twitter:
Follow MSNBC on Instagram:

#MSNBC #RaceInAmerica #JoyReid

44 comments

  1. Thanks Joy, I learned a lot in less than 5 minutes. We really need to get our racists issues fixed.

    1. When You Talk To White People About Race Or Slavery They Give The Same Look A Toddler Gives Trying Lemmon For The First Time…

    1. if that means I have to apologize for being white, then I should also be thanked for fighting with my own countrymen in the Civil War to abolish slavery. Thanks.

    2. Does anyone commenting here even know what truth this commenter is referring to? I don’t see anything that says one way or the other but I see anger from both directions.

    1. @A c No, try this, Trump supporters tried to dismantle a 240 year old democracy while interfering with 360 million American’s freedom.

    2. @A c what are you talking about ❓ book’s need to be preserved, and Oregon is to young to have your Crazy statues. There’s no Confederate statues in Oregon lol fool. None, Zippo, zero, not here. Not my concern.

    3. @A c BLM isn’t committing mass murders and torching and demolishing whole communities. I don’t agree with banning any books but it hardly compares to mass killings.

  2. Those who do not remember history are condemned to repeat it. I am not black, I am Jewish. During Shakespeare’s time, it was illegal for someone to be Jewish in England. Think about that. Not only illegal to enter the country, but illegal to be who you were at birth. There are some aspects of history I would personally rather not repeat. I’m sure that holds true of anyone who has been a minority. Which, at some point in history, was everyone.

    1. Ah gotta love how people make everyone’s comments their own punching bag. Yes, learn from history and teach it as it was not how twitter, faux news and trolls would makes you believe!

    2. ​@robbieredball Thank you. I’m Jewish, not Israeli.
      I’m glad some people understand that the two are different.

  3. As a black person, the mass murders of the residents of all these black towns hurt my soul…I have to wonder how far the U. S. would have come if they had been allowed to thrive? Do people ever think of what could have been?

    1. Mitch is not able to succeed without enablers. Why do democrats continue to fall into his traps? The GOP is about obstruction and chaos.

  4. Amazes me that anyone would really be surprised to learn anything like this about this country.. but then again this country is known for believing the most outlandish fantasies.

  5. I didn’t know any of this. They should teach this in school history class. We never learned anything about racism. I graduated high school in 1980.

    1. They taught it when I was in school in the 80/90s but not in depth. Now pubes are banning that from being taught in schools – at least trying, while saying history is important but it makes kids think bad about their country. Someone should let them know our history doesn’t smell like cinnamon and sugar!

    2. I graduated in 1978 & was taught alot of this history but my older than most parents taught me more. Parents should not rely on schools only for education but should also help teach their own kids about the past. Parents & schools have failed the children.

    3. @A I talked to a friend that was on school when they started integrating. I like learning from those that lived it bc u can’t get the way it felt and the experience by book alone. My grandparents had number tattoos and came from Germany but I wasn’t old enough to talk to them about that before they passed. That’s a big lesson I wish I could have discussed with them

  6. From the slave ships to the trail of tears to Tulsa if we do not tell the truth we are built on foundations of sand. We know how this story ends without doubt or any reprieve. The mass shootings are a powerful symbol and what does it say when a society gives up and says we cannot protect our children at schools. Your gun is more important than a childs right to live. Joy is truth telling who will refuse to listen ?

  7. We DO really want repair. Let’s persist in getting history out there. There’s no stopping us now.

  8. What was done to black people in America was monstrous and ugly. Of course the right wants to keep it under wrap. They want to deny the horrific actions of their ancestors.

  9. We try to teach each other but it’s exhausting and inefficient.when I went to school I was taught about usual folks they probably couldn’t help us from hearing about. Had to go home to hear the real deal.

  10. And they think they have the right to call us lazy! These people were and still is Evil, just Evil!

  11. I knew a black woman and her son who moved to Missoula Mt in the 60’s. They were discriminated against until it was discovered they weren’t American Indians. There were only 5 blacks in Missoula so blacks were a novelty. Those people who have nothing to be proud about have to pick some group they can feel superior to.

  12. “Remember the Alamo!”
    “9/11 – Never Forget!”

    Anything about OUR history and their crimes done to us, “Stop bringing up the past!”

  13. I thought I knew a lot about history, now I realise I don’t and am going to try and put that right. What a brilliant report, thank you.

  14. There is a very real fight going on. I say every time I watch a little bit of faux news. There is a misinformation war being waged on black people

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.