Yedoye Travis’s Dark Tank Podcast Finally Forces White People To Fix Racism

One of the major problems with modern conversations about race is that people rarely sit down to have an actual conversation about race. Even in the era of social media, when we’re more connected than ever, most of what we do is respond instead of listen. There’s seldom back and forth, just increasingly first draft ideas based on initial emotional responses. That’s why Yedoye Travis’s racial debate podcast Dark Tank has found a constant home in my weekly podcast rotation.

Launched in the summer of 2018 and loosely based on the similarly named reality show, Dark Tank features a panel of comedians of color listening to pitches from white performers aimed at fixing racism. The results are predictably awkward, and just as often blisteringly funny. But the magic of Dark Tank comes after the pitches, when the panel, Travis, and his white “gentripreneurs” talk out each idea.

What often start as laugh out loud absurd ideas about fixing the blind spots of racism quickly become in-depth conversations, peppered with sharp comedic riffing. While the white guests don’t get treated with kid gloves, the show isn’t set up for anyone to fail. “There’s never been a person I’ve brought on where it wasn’t me, at least mildly, assessing whether or not I think they can be on the show or if they would say something damning to themselves,” explains Travis. “That’s not what I want the show to be. It’s not for people to go on and ruin their careers. I’m not Sway.”

Part of what makes it work is the reverse in power dynamics, something Travis is acutely aware of. According to Travis Dark Tank was started, “because black people often times end up having a lot of these conversations either by themselves in an echo chamber or when white people entirely outnumber them.” In many ways Dark Tank is a safe place for people of color to speak frankly with their white peers in an elevated state of authority. When you’re riffing backstage everyone is trying to land a laugh, not hear a point. But on the podcast, listening is an essential element of survival for its white guests.

At its best, the show becomes a jumping off point for more extensive discussions, from education reform to white slavery as a form of reparations to cultural definitions of art. In an episode about dealing with Kanye West, comedian Jane Harrison suggested giving the turbulent singer a fine arts academy to focus his energy. After all, what’s less cool to kids than fine art? This then raises the question of if West is already doing fine art. Watching these conversations evolve and unfold is often uncomfortable, but they seldom end in chaos. Ultimately it opens the door for broader conversations that spotlight the often unintended grey areas that birth microaggressions.

These microaggressions are something Travis has been experiencing his entire life but attending a predominantly white private high school brought them into focus. “At that age, you don’t realize what is okay and what is not,” he told Paste. “So there was a lot of putting up with stuff for a long time and then just drawing a hard line out of the blue and my friends would be like, ‘What is going on?’ And I’d just be like, ‘No, I just realize the past few months have been really bad for me.’”

These lived experiences inform each episode, serving as the inspiration to roast particularly silly ideas (forcing white people to rollerblade so they can experience discrimination) and celebrate surprisingly solid ones. Travis’s favorite pitch so far is from Jame Hamilton, who suggested a racial credit score for white people. “It works the same as a regular credit score, but the people around you source it. Black people get a separate app where they can rate you,” Travis told us with a laugh. “And then if you want to move into a black or brown neighborhood you have to have a credit score of 700 or higher,” quickly adding, “first month’s rent, last month’s rent, and a super high racial credit score.”

It’s an idea that’s resonated with audiences, quickly building a devoted fanbase after only a few months thanks to a viral Tweet. On December 29, 2018, Travis posted the following tweet asking supporters to share.