The Professor: Crossovers and Crossing Racial Lines

Published: May 17, 2021, 7:47 a.m.

Episode: 031 \xa0 \xa0 \xa0 \xa0 \xa0 \xa0 \xa0 \xa0 \xa0 \xa0\xa0\nAirdate: May 17, 2021\nLength: 1:00:40\nGuests: Grayson \u201cThe Professor\u201d Boucher\n \nThis week\u2019s guest is global streetball hooper Grayson \u201cThe Professor\u201d Boucher. In this episode he shares his journey from Kaiser, OR to And 1 fame, to Youtube influencer. The ballhandling skills he showcases on the basketball court and in Youtube videos came at the price of commitment and putting in the work. He went from learning the game of basketball with his first idol, his father, to playing the game with some streetball idols.\nWe learn something from his career beyond dedication and practice. We learn the significance of proximity to cultures and people who do not look like you. As African Americans and other people of color we almost have to be in white spaces. But that is not the case for over seventy percent of white Americans (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/08/25/three-quarters-of-whites-dont-have-any-non-white-friends/) who do not have any non-white friends, let alone Black friends (which means most white Americans do not have to engage people outside of their own culture). He immersed himself in a culture at the intersection of Hip Hop and basketball. He has genuine relationships and mentorship from people of color in the game. This is what embodied solidarity looks like, not just having co-workers of color a person may not even know beyond work.\nGrayson also talks about how his faith informs how he tries to carry himself on and off the court without claiming perfection as a Christian. But basketball also influences his faith. Listen in on the conversation with \u201cThe Professor\u201d and glean from his life and career. This is also a great podcast for young hoopers and athletes to listen to.\nYou can follow \u201cThe Professor\u201d on Youtube at Professor Live; on Instagram and Tik Tok @theprofessor.\n____________\nPhil Allen, Jr (http://www.philallenjr.com). is a Los Angeles-based pastor, social justice activist, filmmaker and author. Allen\u2019s book Open Wounds explores the murder of Nate Allen\u2014Phil Allen\u2019s grandfather\u2014in the Jim Crow era of South Carolina and how that traumatic event resonated through generations of his family. Open Wounds \u2013 which is based on the Allen-produced documentary (http://www.openwoundsdoc.com) of the same name \u2013 was published on February 9, 2021. The book can be purchased on Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, or Fortress Press.com. Allen is a Ph.D. student studying Christian ethics at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA.