Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man
by Emmanuel Acho
An urgent primer on race and racism, from the host of the viral hit video series “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man”
“You cannot fix a problem you do not know you have.” So begins Emmanuel Acho in his essential guide to the truths Americans need to know to address the systemic racism that has recently electrified protests in all fifty states. “There is a fix,” Acho says. “But in order to access it, we’re going to have to have some uncomfortable conversations.”
In Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man, Acho takes on all the questions, large and small, insensitive and taboo, many white Americans are afraid to ask—yet which all Americans need the answers to, now more than ever. With the same open-hearted generosity that has made his video series a phenomenon, Acho explains the vital core of such fraught concepts as white privilege, cultural appropriation, and “reverse racism.” In his own words, he provides a space of compassion and understanding in a discussion that can lack both. He asks only for the reader’s curiosity—but along the way, he will galvanize all of us to join the antiracist fight.
About the Author
Emmanuel Acho is a Fox Sports Analyst (“Speak for Yourself”) and Host/Producer of “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man,” a web series opening a dialogue about racism. Drafted to the NFL in 2012, Acho played for the Cleveland Browns and later the Philadelphia Eagles until stepping off the field to begin his broadcast career in 2016. In 2019, Forbes listed Acho as a 30 Under 30 honoree, recognizing him for his success as the youngest national football analyst for ESPN. Acho earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees from The University of Texas and his family’s nonprofit organization, Living Hope Christian Ministries, is dedicated to providing adequate medical treatment to the people of Nigeria.
