. >> and terree, a correspondent for msnbc and author of the book "who's afred of post-blackness?" >> what's it mean to be black in the 21st century. >> i hate to be put in the position of talking for black people. it puts everybody on their heels and makes them think i want to disagree with you. it means anything that you want it to mean. there's 40 million ways to be black. you can do anything, you can be anybody. there's a million different ways, 40 million ways to be black. >> amani let me ask you about that. what does that mean, there is are 40 million ways to be black. are there certain ways that bind black folk to the community? >> it's up in the air to the extent there are 40 million distinct experiences, right, and identities in the united states. but on the other hand, there are a number of constraints that tend to frame the experiences of black americans, still. there's persistent racial inequality in virtually every sector that you can imagine. on the other hand, we have culture and traditions, right, that frame our identities as well. we aren't limited to those. but th