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Podcast: New Books in African American Studies
Episode: Helena Hansen et al., "Whiteout: How Racial Capitalism Changed the Color of Opioids in America" (U California Press, 2023)
Description: In the past two decades, media images of the surprisingly white ânew faceâ of the US opioid crisis abounded. But why was the crisis so white? Some argued that skyrocketing overdoses were âdeaths of despairâ signaling deeper socioeconomic anguish in white communities. Whiteout: How Racial Capitalism Changed the Color of Opioids in America (U California Press, 2023) makes the counterintuitive case that the opioid crisis was the product of white racial privilege as well as despair.Anchored by interviews, data, and riveting firsthand narratives from three leading expertsâan addiction psychiatrist, a policy advocate, and a drug historianâWhiteout revea...