ABSTRACT
In a memory piece that reflects first on a relationship, and then on a brief conversation, the author reckons with how race is negotiated in interracial, intergenerational friendships. She suggests, by comparing the weight of one interaction lasting less than five minutes to the genesis of a friendship that has spanned a decade, that interracial relationships can be viable and/or vulnerable when transparency and honesty about racial realities are shared. She notes the role of racialized relationships, polarizing politics, and being stunned to silence as ways interracial relationships are both negotiated and dismantled.
