A promo has been released for Charles Barkley's "American Race" mini-series, and it may take critics of the NBA Hall of Famer by surprise. When it was first revealed that Barkley would be doing a series on race, back in the Fall, many who have grown to distrust his analysis on racism cringed. But in the premiere episode's teaser, the conservative-leaning athlete-turned-commentator shows a willingness to get controversial, by squaring up with alt-right white leader Richard Spencer.

Flashes of the interview show Barkley asking the bold questions that allow Spencer to speak from the premise of white supremacy. At one point he even inquires into Spencer's thoughts on "white privilege"; a term that liberals and people on the left wouldn't suspect, coming from someone who has cast the politics of respectability over the topic of institutional racism as much as Barkley has. “Yeah, white privilege is wonderful,” Spencer would retort. “I want to expand and deepen white privilege.”

Barkley looked troubled throughout the discussion, as Spencer affirmed, rather than disputed his advocacy of white supremacy. “To be sitting close to somebody who has zero respect for me — he doesn’t believe in equality. He doesn’t believe we should race mix, live in the same neighborhood — that was very disheartening to me,” Barkley said in response to Spencer's worldview.

TNT's "American Race" is scheduled to air in four parts, with an episode showing at 9 p.m. and one playing at 10 p.m. each night, between Thursday [May 11] and Friday [May 12].

Source: youtube.com