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Title
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Oral History Interview with Ethan Britt
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Description
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Ethan Britt of Sewanee, Tennessee was interviewed by Stewart Buchanan, a Sewanee student, on November 28th, 2023, in person. While their conversation was primarily on the Black Lives Matter Movement, other topics included talking about race relations in his hometown of Chapel Hill, North Carolina as well as its reaction to the death of George Floyd. We hope that this conversation will assist scholars with a further understanding of race in the United States during the early twenty-first century. Please click on the link to see the full interview.
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Transcript
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Stewart Buchanan (00:01):
This is Stewart Buchanan from Sewanee, the University of the South. It is Tuesday, November 28th, 2023 at 7:18 PM I'm with
Ethan Britt (00:13):
Ethan Britt.
Stewart Buchanan (00:14):
And where are you from?
Ethan Britt (00:15):
I'm from Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Stewart Buchanan (00:17):
Thank you Ethan Britt for being here.
Ethan Britt (00:19):
Of course. Thanks for having me.
Stewart Buchanan (00:22):
Where are you originally from?
Ethan Britt (00:24):
So I was born in Birmingham, Alabama, but then I moved to Chapel Hill in the first grade and I lived there until I came to school here at Sewanee.
Stewart Buchanan (00:36):
Alright. What made you move
Ethan Britt (00:40):
My dad's job. That was really what it was. Yeah,
Stewart Buchanan (00:43):
What did he do?
Ethan Britt (00:46):
He is a veterans doctor now, but at that time he was an ER doctor and he got a better job in North Carolina and he also really like Chapel Hill. So did my mom.
Stewart Buchanan (01:01):
How is where you currently live different from where you were raised?
Ethan Britt (01:05):
Ethan Britt - IMG_2460 (Completed 12/01/23)
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This transcript was exported on Dec 10, 2023 - view latest version here.
So I would say Sewanee and Chapel Hill are more similar. Birmingham was a lot different than both of them, but in terms of people, mannerisms, there's a lot more Southern hospitality and all that. Football is real big down in Birmingham and Chapel Hill things were a little more northern, I guess. I gotcha. We all know Suwanee, so
Stewart Buchanan (01:46):
Yeah. So you say it's kind of somewhere to Sewanee and Chapel Hill?
Ethan Britt (01:51):
Yeah, I mean it is a lot bigger. The people there. The people here. Yeah. Suwanee is a lot more cordial, A lot more, yes, yes sir. Than Chapel Hill, but a little bit like Birmingham, like that.
Stewart Buchanan (02:03):
Where did you find community as a child?
Ethan Britt (02:06):
As a child, I would say, I mean, me and my mom were always close and I found community through school, through sports and activities. I was big into music when I was growing up, so that was all big. Yeah, when I got into high school, sports was a real big community for me. That was people I was with all the time.
Stewart Buchanan (02:38):
Alright. And where do you find community today?
Ethan Britt (02:42):
I mean right now sports has taken over my life. Football is all the time 24 7. And those guys are, they're who I talk to every single day. Same with my roommates and back home. I have a small of friends and we have a good community.
Stewart Buchanan (03:02):
Yeah. Alright. Are you part of any clubs? Any?
Ethan Britt (03:07):
No, not really. I mean, I'm on the football team order of the gown.
Stewart Buchanan (03:12):
Is there any community in being a part of the gown?
Ethan Britt (03:16):
I would say there is, but I feel like it's more like a badge. You see people wear their gown, it's cool and all, but it's not like I'm getting to know anyone new or finding some community or someplace. And I'd say, yeah, not so much. Not as much as I expected.
Stewart Buchanan (03:40):
Yeah. What is your occupation and what was your journey into this role?
Ethan Britt (03:46):
So I'm a student, in the summer I'm a football stream conditioning intern. Both of those was a lot of emails. A lot of emails and hard work and yeah, pretty much that's how I would describe it.
Stewart Buchanan (04:06):
So who did you email to get those positions?
Ethan Britt (04:09):
So I emailed admissions and the dean and I emailed a lot of people who have been to college or their job is to get kids into college. I had teachers who I had emailed a lot and I emailed students at Suwanee. And then for the UNC job, I harassed their head strength coach who I had met through coaching flag football. I wouldn't take no for an answer and eventually I got that job. So a lot of persistence and
communication for sure.
Stewart Buchanan (04:44):
Very nice. Who inspires you and what traits do these individuals have?
Ethan Britt (04:49):
Who inspires me? Shoot, that's hard. I inspire myself. No, but I mean my little brother inspires me, my roommates inspire me. Some guys on the football team inspire me. Some of my professors, some of my bosses at UNC definitely inspire me. And I'd say the biggest thing with them, with all those people, what I look up to about them the most is being hardworking and persistent and what do you call it? I said persistent, determined, but also being about their stuff, knowing what they're doing and knowing what they want.
Stewart Buchanan (05:44):
I gotcha, what traveling have you done in your life?
Ethan Britt (05:50):
Done a lot of traveling to the beach, family reunions. I have a lot of family in Texas, so I've been there a lot. I went to Spain with the football team last summer. That was an amazing experience. Real culture shock for sure. I'd say those are probably the most important. Traveling. I went to Hawaii with my girlfriend, that was pretty crazy. A little bit of culture shock as well. Not as much as Spain, but
Stewart Buchanan (06:25):
Yeah. Are you close to your family in Texas?
Ethan Britt (06:28):
In Texas, yes. So I have a lot of family in Texas, so I'm closer with more than others. Like my grandpa, I'm pretty close with. He's getting a little old though, so our relationship's changing. But yeah, I've lived with my uncle down there and went to his job for a week and I look up to him as well. Both my mom and dad have family there and they're all great people. See them a lot.
Stewart Buchanan (06:57):
Alright. And what's your favorite type of food?
Ethan Britt (07:01):
I mean, chicken and rice and broccoli. No, I don't know. I'd say favorite type of food. I don't know. Salty, savory stuff. I guess used to be butter noodles. It's not anymore. I dunno. I can't think of anything.
Stewart Buchanan (07:20):
All right. How have you experienced international cultures in your life and what was different about them?
Ethan Britt (07:27):
Like I said, went to Spain, it was crazy. Culture's there is crazy. The schedule is crazy. The way they wake up, the way they work, the way they take a nice nap in the day, stay up late. I think it was awesome. I wish we did that here. But also in Chapel Hill. Chapel Hill is like a safe haven or something. Maybe it's carbo, but it's specifically zoned so that immigrants or illegal immigrants aren't, not persecuted, but they're safer there. So there's a lot of non-English speakers and people from different countries there who I grew up with my whole life. So there's a lot of people from Mexico, a lot of people from Arabic countries. There's one country specifically, I can't remember the name of it, but a lot of, especially in elementary school and middle school, we had a lot of foreign kids and I was close friends with a lot of them. So it's just good to see different people. Lots of different things to talk about.
Stewart Buchanan (08:40):
Alright. And how did you receive the news about the BLM movement?
Ethan Britt (08:51):
I think before I really knew what it was, I remember there being graffiti and posters about Trayvon Martin and Tamir Rice and stuff, and there was BLM stuff, but I didn't really look into BLM and whatnot. I didn't know what it was. And then I think when I probably really knew what it was was after George Floyd, and then there was Colin Kaepernick and that little baby song. And my whole school had a walk out in the middle of just a regular old day. The entire school walked out into the quad or our little outdoor area and people spoke and we all just skipped school that day. And there was lots of social media like blackout Tuesday, and I mean, our neighborhood all got these signs with BLM passed out and I mean, it was a big, big thing. And I think that influenced the election a little bit. Yeah, it was a big thing. So I think, but what really, really is when I learned about BLM was after George Floyd probably that was kind of the thing that, I can't remember the timeline specifically, but that's what I associate with learning BLM.
Stewart Buchanan (10:23):
Do you remember what the student speakers spoke about during that walkout?
Ethan Britt (10:30):
I remember that they were high schoolers and most of the kids who spoke were white. And I remember them speaking about how it affected them personally. And I remember them speaking about defunding the police. And it was also, we had a gun control walkout before that, I want to say. And there were some remaining themes. It was a big thing, but it was a little all over the place. And yeah, I am not sure if there was a specific point, but a lot of kids spoke. Yeah
Stewart Buchanan (11:10):
And do you remember, do you have an image of the murals in your head?
Ethan Britt (11:15):
Yeah.
Stewart Buchanan (11:18):
One that stuck out to you specifically maybe?
Ethan Britt (11:20):
Are you talking about in the ones that I saw? Yes. I remember there was this abandoned building in Carbo with red graffiti about Trayvon Martin and there was all these, not posters, but bulletins, whatever they are. And they were pretty graphic and the graffiti was graphic. And I want to say I was pretty young. I don't remember when it was, but that's what I remember the most for sure.
Stewart Buchanan (11:52):
What is your experience with social media
Ethan Britt (11:55):
Pertaining to BLM?
Stewart Buchanan (11:58):
No, just in general.
Ethan Britt (11:59):
Oh, okay. So I mean, I used to post a lot more than I do now, but I still consume a lot of social media. I use Snapchat and Instagram the most. But I had a Twitter for football recruitment. I have no followers on it. And then I have a Facebook for Facebook marketplace and my mom follows me on Facebook and I need to make a LinkedIn. I have one, but I need to update it. And I mostly just consume social media now. I don't do as much posting. I try to remain a little ambiguous with that. It's a big world and you put yourself out there, you kind of define yourself for sure.
Stewart Buchanan (12:47):
So what is your opinion on the Black Lives Matter movement?
Ethan Britt (12:55):
I wouldn't say, I don't feel like it's my place to have an opinion on it. I think that it was huge and it definitely made change for sure. And it was definitely historical and definitely influenced our politics. I don't know if it was good or bad. I definitely think that the ideology behind it, I know there's not one specific person who is Black Lives Matter, but I think the general ideology behind it is good. I think that the only qualm I had about it was saying Black Lives Matter implies that they don't, which implies that someone might think that they don't, which was just kind of crazy to me, especially growing up in Chapel Hill. But that was kind of eyeopening that a lot of people might not think that they matter. You know what I'm saying?
Stewart Buchanan (13:52):
Yeah. Why don't you think you're able to voice an opinion, have an opinion on the movement?
Ethan Britt (13:59):
I mean, I think that a lot of this injustices and stuff that have affected people that I think that people who really do have an opinion on it, I feel like I don't have enough experience or I'm not affected enough to have an opinion. You know what I'm saying? And I also think that I don't want to charge headfirst into something that I don't know what I want to accomplish or do something wrong. You don't want to. So I feel like I don't want to give it a bad look or be hypocritical in some way. And yeah, I'd guess so. I mean, that's a hard question, but
Stewart Buchanan (14:57):
Yeah. What was your community's reaction to the Black Lives Matter movement? I know you talked about it a little bit, but could you go more in
Ethan Britt (15:05):
Depth? Yeah, so Chapel Hill is, it's a bubble for sure compared to the rest of North Carolina. It's kind of similar to Suwanee. I mean, black Lives Matter was everywhere. It was in front of everyone's house and we had a sign in front of our house, we had a sign in the front and we had this painted one. One of our
neighbors gave us and everyone had shirts and it was a big thing. There was walks in downtown Franklin Street and like I said, a school walkout. But there was also, I don't know if it was at that same time or after, but there was also a lot of All Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter that came back. It is North Carolina and there's a lot of different people in different political views or whatever you call it. But there was a lot of reaction in my community, for sure.
Stewart Buchanan (16:14):
Alright. And what generation do you think was most affected by the Black Lives Matter movement?
Ethan Britt (16:21):
I mean, it is hard to say. I think a lot of the younger generations that was, at least where I'm from, that's where their political kind of their first introduction to big political movement. You know what I'm saying? So I think that a lot of those kids had never participated in protest walks or anything like that. And so I think that shaped them for sure. But I also think that the voting generation probably was impacted a lot because while those kids may still have that stuff, I don't know the words, but while it still may impact them, I think that the people who were voting and had to decide about their political stance at that point probably had a little bit more stress to change or stress to rethink things or to pick a side that they may not have to have pick a side before. Maybe side's not the right answer, but you know what I'm saying. Yeah.
Stewart Buchanan (17:43):
How has Black Lives Matter impacted your life?
Ethan Britt (17:47):
In my life, I think there was a lot of pressure to be active on it, and I had never been, I did not care about politics at all in my life. And so that was the first time where you felt that pressure. If you're not saying something, you're part of the problem. And so that definitely was a new point of view for me, for sure. So that impacted my life. And playing sports in Carbo and Chapel Hill, most of my football team was black, so my relationships with them were defined on that kind of stuff. And their high schoolers, and there were kids there who were very against BLM. And that kind of dynamic definitely impacted me for sure. And it also exposed me to learning about a whole bunch of stuff. Just events that I had no clue about, especially regarding police brutality. I definitely learned a ton just during that time and with the publicity of BLM for sure.
Stewart Buchanan (19:03):
So do you think you ever got outcasted because you didn't really speak up?
Ethan Britt (19:10):
No, but I definitely, I did. I participated in a lot of the social media stuff and I had the signs at my house and whatnot, and I think I was, some of my friends were like, why don't you care about this more? And I had a girlfriend at the time who had, two of her siblings were adopted from Ethiopia, and so she was very, very active. She wanted to do politics and whatnot. So I mean, I definitely had a lot of pressure and there were some side eye and some guilt about it, but I don't ever feel like I was outcasted or anything serious. I mean, I was not a racist or I wasn't anything crazy. There was a lot worse kids, not worse, but a lot of kids who did get outcasted that were not me.
Stewart Buchanan (20:14):
Yeah. Has the Black Lives Matter affected how you talk with family and friends,
Ethan Britt (20:24):
I guess? Yeah, I mean, for sure. I think that being conscious of that stuff is very important in all of your, no matter who you're talking to. Definitely. That's kind of my introduction. People say, don't talk about religion and politics at the dinner table. That was my first understanding of that. So I have family and stuff who have certain political views, and I have family who have very different political views and same with friends and whatnot. And so I definitely try to stay less opinionated for sure. And keep a good image. I guess maybe that's wrong, but yeah, definitely. And I mean, I also think that it's important to support people, people who are feeling wronged or on the bad side of stuff, to be conscious of that thing so you can be able to talk to them and support them and whatnot. And to be knowing enough people's opinions and thoughts so you can,
Stewart Buchanan (21:47):
How do you think the Black Lives Matter movement has succeeded?
Ethan Britt (21:52):
I think it was huge. Like I said, that was my first exposure to a lot of stuff. I think it was hugely public. I think that it impacted everyone. And I think that I was saying people in sports who don't care about politics all of a sudden care about politics because Colin Kaepernick is kneeing or because he got fired. And people who listen to music and don't care about politics, they're hearing about it through songs and stuff like that. I mean, it was super visible, super visible, huge part of that election cycle for sure. So I think no matter what, it definitely, everyone knows what it is. So that is huge for sure.
Stewart Buchanan (22:44):
How do you think the movement has failed?
Ethan Britt (22:48):
How it's failed? Well, definitely I feel, at least for me, I feel like if fizzled out, it's less, less prevalent. And I may be not well-read, but there's not a specific thing that I can mark as a BLM victory, you know what I'm saying? But I also think that there was some violence, and some people were saying that the riots were an excuse for people to rob places or hurt people. And I also think that, I think just kind of surface level naming it, black Lives Matter allowed All Lives matter to kind of be, just as words made, black Lives Matter, seem like it implied that other lives, but I'm not too well read into it. So
Stewart Buchanan (23:57):
Yeah. How has Black Lives Matter changed how you interact with people of other races?
Ethan Britt (24:06):
Like I said, it makes me more conscious of history, for sure. Makes me more conscious of our system still going. Yeah, makes me a little bit more conscious of opinions and political stances for sure. So that I'm able to converse with people without seeming dumb or offending people. And also let me at least have some sympathy or empathy, whichever one is the right word, by learning about it to people who have been through things like that.
Stewart Buchanan (25:01):
What is your opinion on race relations in the United States?
Ethan Britt (25:05):
I mean, Suwanee and Chapel Hill are bubbles. So from what I can see in Chapel Hill, things are good, but you hear things on the news that are really bad. So I don't think we're anywhere near fantastic, for sure. I think the United States is super hotbed for race relations. I think that we're better than a lot of other countries for sure, and I think we're worse than a lot of other countries. And I think that, yeah, I think it's definitely not great. But
Stewart Buchanan (25:51):
What do you think is the future of the Black Lives Matter movement
Ethan Britt (25:56):
As a movement? I'm sure that with the election cycle, it'll be much more prevalent again. And I think that wherever there's controversy or injustice or things like that, that's when it'll get brought up, get used again. I'm not sure. I'm sure there will be a new movement, something else that takes the spotlight that's more specific or if it's the time and situation better, but I'm sure it's definitely going to be in the history books for sure. And yeah, I don't think it's going anywhere. It may not be as big as it was, but
Stewart Buchanan (26:48)
Yeah. All right. Well, thank you Ethan Brick, for being here. Of course.
Ethan Britt