CUAB hosts livestream of Trevor Noah interview for 'Get With The Times'

The New York Times journalist John Eligon interviewed Trevor Noah — comedian, writer and host of “The Daily Show” — on Oct. 15, filmed live at Northwestern University.

“These are events that are part of the series called 'Get With The Times,' just kind of having celebrities and journalists from The New York Times discuss relevant topics," said Qieara Lesesne, The New York Times collegiate event coordinator for UNC. "It’s livestreamed across hundreds of college campuses."

UNC is also a host school, Lesesne said.

The Carolina Union Activities Board hosted the livestream of the debate over identity, ethnicity and the state of race in America during the Trump presidency.

“I think it’s important just to have a discussion about what’s going on in our country and around the world," junior Bryant Parroquin said. "There are plenty of discussions we need to have and we should stop ignoring that fact. Especially such an important person who has a pull and brings people together such as Trevor Noah, through his show and as of right now, through this event as well.”

Noah discussed the importance of communication when broaching race and identity, as they often have conflicting points of view.

Lesesne said she thinks it's important for people to hear conversations facilitated by credible news outlets such as The New York Times.

“I definitely think this topic is relevant because of the uproar we’ve had on campus around Silent Sam and things of that nature, the debates that we’re having with people Young Democrats and Young Republicans invited to speak," she said.

The comedian also spoke about raising awareness of these controversial subjects.

“(Issues surrounding race are) still prevalent, and there’s still a problem, and if we want to address it and do something about it, you have to talk about it,” first-year Denasia Mabine said.

The comedian answered questions from students pertaining to journalism, fake news, effective debate and self-care relative to race and identity.

“I think it’s important just to have a discussion about what’s going on in our country and around the world," junior Bryant Parroquin said. "There are plenty of discussions we need to have and we should stop ignoring that fact.”

Parroquin said as a Latinx person, he can see the effects of the Trump presidency through everything from hurricane relief to his reaction to NFL players' protests.

“Nothing gets resolved if we keep pushing it back and saying, 'Oh, right now is not the time to talk about it.' When is it the right time to talk about it, if it’s not right now?" Parroquin said. "We can’t wait for more fatalities to make us do something about it. We need to solve these issues before people get hurt or more lives are in danger.”

Trevor Noah talked about experiencing apartheid in South Africa and how this influenced his own viewpoint of ethnic identity and race.

“It’s important to have that experience and to be able to talk about it with other people, because we as Westerners already have a biased outlook on Africa and we get to actually hear from someone who went through that,” Mabine said.

John Eligon asked if Trevor Noah’s opinion is often discredited because he is not American. Some UNC livestream viewers agreed with Trevor that all viewpoints are needed to bring a deeper understanding to these issues.

Junior Jintong Wu said issues are usually not black and white, and Noah's presence in the discussion helps share a unique perspective.

“It’s really important to have a different viewpoint, since Trevor Noah is not from America, he’s not African-American, and I think his viewpoint as an outsider is very important," Wu said. "On our campus, I feel like it’s a really radical position for African-American students to be arguing with people with conservative views."

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