Episode 3.09: Fighting Time

My Racist Friend

Don and Amy welcome back Dr. Amy Banks, who brings her co-author, Isaac Knapper, to discuss their upcoming book, "Fighting Time"—a story of their 36-year journey from murder to meeting. Dr. Banks' father, Ronald, was shot and killed on April 29, 1979, as he left the Hyatt Regency hotel in New Orleans. Isaac, who along with Amy was 16 at the time, was wrongfully convicted of the murder and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole in the Louisiana State Penitentiary. She and her younger sister, Nancy, traveled to meet and ultimately befriend Isaac in 2015.

Additional resources:

• "Fighting Time" (Regal House Publishing, by Amy Banks and Isaac Knapper, 2021)
  https://www.regalhousepublishing.com/product/fighting-time/

• "How Can White Folks Join the Fight to End Systemic Racism?" (Pact Press, by Amy Banks, September 16, 2020)
  http://pactpress.com/2020/09/how-can-white-folks-join-the-fight-to-end-systemic-racism/

• "The Social Impact of Wrongful Conviction" (YouTube, Wellesley Centers for Women, April 7, 2017)
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10kzlovflQ8

• "Wrongly Incarcerated Singer Archie Williams Delivers Unforgettable Song - America's Got Talent 2020" (YouTube, by America's Got Talent, May 22, 2020)
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShgOH1u78XA

• "What AGT didn't tell you about Archie Williams | America's Got Talent 2020" (YouTube, by Epic Top Trending, May 30, 2020)
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-lRVS9DNK0

• "The last time New Orleans Mardi Gras parades were canceled, here's what happened" (NOLA, by Matt Sledge, February 7, 2021)
  https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/mardi_gras/article_3ab27242-6804-11eb-b241-176657eea9a2.html

• Banks v. Hyatt Corp. (April 11, 1984)
  https://www.ravellaw.com/opinions/e61e4dbb2ff1dfc5691f607065c49c0c

Special thanks to BCC interns, Rylie Cook and Constance Johnson, for helping with research for this season.

Buy "Your Racist Friend" by They Might Be Giants on iTunes