Read Some of My Best Friends Are Black Online
Authors: Tanner Colby
SOME OF MY BEST FRIENDS ARE BLACK
SOME OF MY BEST
FRIENDS ARE BLACK
The Strange Story of
Integration in America
TANNER COLBY
[VIKING]
VIKING
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, U.S.A. • Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4P 2Y3 (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) • Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England • Penguin Ireland, 25 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd) • Penguin Books Australia Ltd, 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) • Penguin Books India Pvt Ltd, 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi – 110 017, India • Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd) • Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd, 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa
Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
First published in 2012 by Viking Penguin, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Copyright © Tanner Colby, 2012
All rights reserved
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Colby, Tanner.
Some of my best friends are Black : the strange story of integration in America / Tanner Colby.
p. cm.
ISBN: 978-1-101-58369-2
1. United States—Race relations. 2. Racism—United States. 3. Whites—Race identity—United States. 4. Whites—United States—Social conditions. 5. African Americans—Race identity. 6. African Americans—Social conditions—1975- 7. Colby, Tanner—Travel—United States. 8. United States—Description and travel. I. Title.
E184.A1C537 2012
305.896’073—dc23 2011043901
Printed in the United States of America
Set in Palatino with Verlag
Designed by Carla Bolte
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
ALWAYS LEARNING
PEARSON
FOR DANIELLE
PART 1
LETTER FROM A BIRMINGHAM SUBURB
PART 2
PLANNING FOR PERMANENCE
2 “Have You Seen the Country Club District?”
PART 3
WHY DO BLACK PEOPLE DRINK HAWAIIAN PUNCH?
1 The Race That Prays Together
2 The Strange Career of Jesus Christ