Uncomfortable Truths About Race in America

Guests: Joan Trumpauer Mulholland, Civil Rights Activist, Author; Loki Mulholland, Documentary Filmmaker A couple of recent polls show about half of white Americans say discrimination against whites exists in the US today. That’s surely one reason why it’s common to hear people argue against the idea of “white privilege.” They may say, “I’ve worked hard for everything I have. So did my parents. I’ve received no benefits in life because of the color of my skin.” To the contrary, they may believe affirmative action has made being white a disadvantage in the college and job markets.   Filmmaker Loki Mulholland’s journey to understand just how being white has benefited his family across generations is the subject of a documentary called “The Uncomfortable Truth.” It’s currently streaming on Amazon and will air October 30th on KBYU for viewers in Utah. Mulholland’s story is particularly intriguing because his mother descends from a line of southern slaveholders, but she made her name as a civil rights activist, jailed for her participation in the Freedom Rides and targeted by the Ku Klux Klan.