Michael Harriot
Michael Harriot
Journalist Michael Harriot Speaks Out After Arrest At Birmingham Protest | The Root
Michael Harriot is an author, podcast host, and columnist lives out of Birmingham, Alabama. In November 2019, Michael Harriot made headlines after calling Pete Buttigieg a Lying MF in an article he wrote for The Root. Buttigieg later called and spoke to Harriot. In June 2020, Harriot was arrested at a Black Lives Matter protest in Birmingham for a curfew violation while covering the protest. [2]
Early Life and Education
Harriot was born in Hartsville, South Carolina. [1]
He attended Auburn University and graduated in the class of 1995. He majored in Mass communication and Media studies. Michael holds a Master's degree in International Business.[4]
Career
The Root
Michael is the Senior Writer over at The Root, an African American news and culture publication. He began working for the company in 2017 and has written a multitude of articles spanning the platform. [3][9]
Podcasts
Negus Who Read
Performance
Harriot often tours the country performing spoken word poetry. He has performed at a number of poetry slams and contests reciting popular originals of his like "My Mama Is So Black" and "The Top Secret Recipe for Aunt Phyllis' Fried Chicken."[9]
Book
Social Media
Controversy
Pete Buttigieg Is a Lying MF
On Monday, November 26, 2019 Harriot published an article on The Root titled Pete Buttigieg Is a Lying MF.[24]
The piece centered around a comment made by Pete Buttigieg from a 2011 mayoral race roundtable dialogue where he discussed the poor scholastic performance of African American students. Buttigieg stated,[25]
“Kids need to see evidence that education is going to work for them, You’re motivated because you believe that at the end of your education, there is a reward; there’s a stable life; there’s a job.
And there are a lot of kids—especially [in] the lower-income, minority neighborhoods, who literally just haven’t seen it work.
There isn’t someone who they know personally who testifies to the value of education.”
Michael's rebuttal boldy called out Buttigieg, stating that the mayoral candidate was out of sync with the realities of everyday life of young African Americans. Harriot wrote:[24][25]
I want to be clear: Pete Buttigieg is a lying motherfucker.
Michael's article continued with him providing statistics about funding for scholastic institutions among the different groups,
Majority-minority schools receive $23 billion less in funding than majority-white schools, according to a recent study by EdBuild.
Black students in Indiana, the state where Buttigieg serves as mayor, and across the country, are disciplined more harshly than white students.
But even though Buttigieg has never attended a school with more than 10 percent black students, he thinks he knows what’s stopping black kids from achieving their educational dreams.
Harriot further stated how disconnected Buttigieg and others are about institutional racism all across the United States,
[It proves] men like him are more willing to perpetuate the fantastic narrative of negro neighborhoods needing more role models and briefcase-carriers than make the people in power stare into the sun and see the blinding light of racism.
Get-along moderates would rather make shit up out of whole cloth than wade into the waters of reality.
Pete Buttigieg doesn’t want to change anything.
He just wants to be something.
Pete Buttigieg Called Me. Here's What Happened
The next day, Tuesday November 26, 2019, Harriot wrote a follow-up piece to Pete Buttigieg Is a Lying MF. The article, titled Pete Buttigieg Called Me. Here's What Happened, describes a phone call that was placed to Michael from mayor Pete. During the phone call, the two discussed the racial issues presented in Michael's first piece. The call lasted a little under 20 minutes, and according to Michael started out with Buttigieg stating:[26]
“I think the context was important, especially the fact that it was before I took office.”
Buttigieg then talked more about his policies and the problem of institutional racism and even asks Michael if he understood the point he was trying to make,
“I do think there are some ways to attack these issues with policies that might solve these issues, but would certainly help.
But do you disagree with the point I was making?
Sometimes children don’t get to see the possibilities.
Do you think the lack of positive examples of educational success can lead to mistrust and a lack of confidence in the system?”
Michael and Buttigieg's phone call lasted 18 minutes and 45 seconds.
The article concludes,[26]
And, as I told the mayor, the article wasn’t meant to inspire outrage.
Its purpose was to make a necessary point about black voters and real issues.
There is no way that I can know if he is genuinely interested in engaging black voters, attacking discrimination or crossing the racial divide.
There are an infinite number of candidates who have waded into black barbershops or sashayed into black pulpits to assure us that they were on our side when they were only interested in our vote.
I am not smart or prescient enough to tell the difference.
The only thing I actually know about Pete Buttigieg is that he is a white man.
But Pete Buttigieg listened, which is all you can ask a white man to do.
Arrest
On June 4, 2020, Harriot was arrested for curfew violation in Birmingham's Linn Park. A crowd gathered outside of the park beginning about 3 p.m. and steadily grew to roughly 100 as the hours went on. As the 7 p.m. curfew approached, Birmingham police announced over a loudspeaker for the crowd to disperse and reminded media representatives to have their press credentials on hand and visible. The majority of protesters left peacefully except a handful who said they were willing to get arrested, which they were.[37]
Police officers then approached the area where media was staging.
Harriot was using his cell phone to video the events.
Harriot was asked by officers, “Are you media?” to which he replied, “Yes I am.”
He was asked if he could show credentials but said he did not have any with him.
The department’s public information officer, Sgt. Rod Mauldin, said he then asked him if there was anyway to make contact with his company to confirm he was media and Harriot said no. Officers then handcuffed him with ziptie cuffs and took him to a waiting police van.[37]
Harriot posted about his arrest on Twitter saying, “Arrested.
Was covering protests.
Still in Birmingham City Jail.”
He later tweeted, “I’m out.
I’m good.
Just hungry AF and want the City of Birmingham to know that officer C. Lancaster is DEFINITELY the next Derek Chauvin.”[37]