Q&A with Amber Ruffin & Lacey Lamar

In the workplace, in the mall, in church – yes, there too – racism permeates and persists across America. Amber Ruffin collected screenshots of texts from her sister Lacey Lamar with the crazy things people said to her, and thus, a book was born.

We chatted with the bestselling authors about their experiences as Black women in America and how to stay resilient in the fight against racism in 2021.

Amber Ruffin: Books have had an enormous impact on my life. I've used them to lighten my mood and to motivate me. Books are capable of a lot more than people think!

Lacey Lamar: Books, to me, are an amazing escape. Whenever I need to get away from the world, even if it’s just for a short time, books take me there.

AR: Being a Black woman in my career has given me a different outlook than a lot of people I've worked with. My background gave me a different point of view and I'm so lucky to have found people who see that as a plus, which it is, instead of a minus, which it is not.

LL: Being a Black American in healthcare has been a challenge. It opened my eyes even more to a side I already knew was there but didn’t want to see. It made it difficult for me to want to stay in that career field, especially in the Midwest.

LL: I think it’s just what you do. I feel like I never really had a choice but to speak up, and if things didn’t change, then I moved on. I will never stay in a place that chooses to treat people poorly.

AR: They say I was the first Black woman to write for a late night network show and I don't know how true that is, but the fact that Black women have some representation in late night is what is so cool. I used to be able to call every Black woman in late night, because I knew all of us, because there were so few. But I'm glad to report now the genre is changing.

AR: Representation is important all across the board. I've almost always worked in comedy, so I've always had a lot of Black women to look up to. But I like to think of other professions, like, how there's a little Black girl somewhere right now seeing a Black librarian and realizing she could do that, too. It's like they say, "You gotta see it to be it."

AR: First of all, say their name it’s JCPenney! [laughs] But I have to say, every situation is different. When I think about Black people navigating racist spaces, I always want them to trust their gut. Like, you know who you are and how you're being seen and what you have to do to stay safe.

LL: My advice for BIPOC would be do what makes you happy. Don’t let anyone make you feel lesser than. Speak up for others when you see injustice if you can safely do so.

My advice for white people is that it’s your turn now to start doing the work. We’re tired of trying to educate everyone about racism. There are some amazing books out there on the subject, read them! In a pinch use Google! Start standing up and speaking out whenever you encounter racism. Do it EVERY TIME.