NPR: Introducing Tyrone ... And What About that 'Truce'?

Introducing Tyrone ... And What About that 'Truce'?

Tell Me More Intern, Tyrone Martin

Lee Hill, NPR

Well, I am going to dash off because I am going to take our winter/spring intern, Tyrone Martin, to lunch. No nepotism here. I don't think he's a relative.

... Are you, Tyrone?

Tyrone has a very interesting background. Well, here, let him tell it. Tyrone, introduce yourself to the people...

Thanks, Michel. I can remember as a child being intrigued by the world of journalism and mass media. At the time, I was fascinated with the idea of telling stories that might otherwise not be told ... stories that could help those without a voice in the world. The same still applies today. So, with that said, my name is Tyrone Martin, 'Ty' for short. And I am, as you may have guessed, the intern for Michel's show. I am a graduate of Florida Gulf Coast University and I also happen to be a Marine; I have accomplished a lot in a short amount time. Being chosen as the sole intern for Tell Me More with Michel Martin is a great honor for me, and I hope that this opportunity will help open doors for me as I continue my great American journey. Next time, I will tell you more. Keep listening to the show!

Thanks, Ty.

A couple of things...

Read the William Jelani Cobb piece we were talking about on today's program.

Also, we had Democratic Sen. John Kerry on the program. You might like this: his speech endorsing Sen. Barack Obama.

And, the drama continues with the whole Clinton-Obama race kafuffle. The two declared a "truce" last night. (Democratic leaders, clearly, told both camps to chill.)

But, here's my question: the whole thing was uncomfortable and unsettling for Democrats -- and I'm sure those who are worrying about Democrats taking the White House are worried that this becomes fodder for the Republican nominee in the fall (or, really, spring ... the way things are going) -- but isn't talking about race always unsettling? Is the rush to declare race and gender "off the table" shutting down something that needs to be talked through?

I'm thinking about this because there's been another race-gender conversation going on -- mainly on the blogs and on the radio -- responding to Gloria Steinem's op-ed in the NYT, suggesting that gender is a more "restricting" force in life than race. (Remember we had Steinem on last week to talk about it). Well, she says that her intention was not to minimize the importance of race, but rather to keep gender from being disappeared -- to link the two, not make a hierarchy. Some are not buying it.

Listen to a conversation she recently had with Melissa Harris-Lacewell, who has also been on the program.

Anyway, is this really "over" just because the candidates say it is? And, while listening to people argue over who loved Martin Luther King, Jr., more did get a little irritating, should race and gender really be off the take, even if it is an inconvenient conversation?

I'm just asking...

Michel Martin

4:15 PM ET | 01-16-2008 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

No matter what the candidates say about a truce, I highly doubt that either race or gender issues will be "over" when it comes to this campaign.

This is due, in part, to the fact that even if inflammatory comments (and rebuttals) don't come directly from the candidates themselves, they often come from the high-profile, outspoken individuals who endorse them. As long as they are able to use these individuals as "fall guys" for spreading ignorance and the uproar that ensues, I think we can look forward to a lot more trash talk all the way up to November.

Sent by Rabin | 10:22 PM ET | 01-17-2008

There are some other variables in the race-gender equation than Ms. Steinem admits. For instance, Debra Dickerson has said that if Barack Obama "were Ronald Washington from Detroit, even with the same resume, he wouldn't be getting this kind of love." And bell hooks has written that for many of her white feminist friends, gender is the defining factor for a child, while for her, it's color. Everyone knows what gender is but nobody quite knows what race is.

Sent by michael | 6:23 PM ET | 01-18-2008

"Gender before race?" Please. When I try to hail a cab in NYC and it rushes by me, it's not because I'm female. When my daughter invites her white friends for a sleepover, their mothers don't hesitate because I'm female. Security guards don't follow me in stores because I'm female.

Now, why do we have to talk about the race issue RIGHT NOW? A black man is running for president. If we talk about race now, it will sway votes. Let's wait until Obama is in the White House before we have that discussion.

Sent by Sabrena | 12:30 AM ET | 01-19-2008

This situation is terribly, rather eerily reminiscent of the Reconstruction Era, and the polarization of pro-rights folks like Fredrick Douglas against so-called feminists. Where are women of color in that story? Then we had Sojourner Truth to declare "Ain't I a woman!" But now we just have the Beyonc??s and pop culture. History shows that Americans are surprisingly race and class allegiant. Our country is so deeply in need of healing the wounds of racism which can only start with open and honest dialogue. BTW, Bill Clinton is NOT Black, though I can appreciate his working class and single-parent background.

Sent by Diepiriye S. Kuku (dee-ep-pre-yeah) | 3:56 AM ET | 01-21-2008

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"Nothing is assumed." That's the unofficial motto of Tell Me More, the new Monday-Friday talk show with host Michel Martin. Grounded in lively interviewing and compelling storytelling, the program seeks to present diverse new voices, cross borders, challenge conventional wisdom and discover how other people think.