Talking about race can be like walking into an emotional minefield where no one is comfortable. Opening up a discussion online can be even more treacherous. Nevertheless, the Seattle Times has launched an online, interactive project about race called “Under Our Skin.”
I talked with Seattle Times journalist and video editor Corinne Chin, who helped create the project. She says "Under Our Skin" came about because she and others were noticing that when the subject of race came up a lot of words were bandied about.
"Words that we use to talk about race, words like white privilege, microaggression, including kind of buzzier words that we’ve seen pop up in our coverage like safe space,” Chin said.
The interactive project is a series of videos, each addressing a different word. Chin says 18 people from Western Washington, from a variety of backgrounds and beliefs, were interviewed for the project. In addition to clicking on an a word, you can also see short video bios of each participant.
The Seattle Times is encouraging responses and guest essays. Comments are being curated in order to avoid, in Chin's words, "knee jerk, hateful comments."
Chin and the rest of the "Under Our Skin" team, as well as some interviewees, will participate in an "Ask Me Anything" session on Reddit on Thursday, June 23 from 1-2 p.m.
