Harris-Perry gives white people’s guide to talk Trayvon Martin

By Andrew Jones
Saturday, March 31, 2012 17:23 EDT
Melissa Harris-Perry on March 31. Screenshot via MSNBC.
 
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MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry continued her usual comfort in discussing race issues Saturday morning, providing any Caucasian-American with some steps to overcome any fears talking about Trayvon Martin.

The Tulane professor, whose mother is white, was inspired to do her segment after watching Jon Stewart’s reaction to mentioning Martin’s story on The Daily Show.

“Rule one, it is okay to say ‘black,’” she said. “It’s okay to draw attention to people’s race to draw attention in this conversation. It isn’t embarrassing to mention when a black person is black. Rule two: Black is always an adjective, it’s never a noun. Black people is fine. ‘The blacks,’ not so much.”

In the final of her six points, Harris Perry said that “silence is golden.”

“Race talk can make all of us defensive, but rather than defending, just listen,” she said. “And if it’s hard, it’s okay to soothe yourself with a cup of tea, with a shot of whiskey.”

WATCH: Video from MSNBC, from March 31, 2012.

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