♪ >>> WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY, TO "GMA3." ONE OF OUR NEXT GUESTS SAID THIS IS GOING TO BE THE MOST SERIOUS INTERVIEW YOU HAVE EVER SEEN. THESE THREE ALL HAVE BEEN VERY GOOD FRIENDS OF OUR SHOW HERE. THEY HAVE JOINED US IN THE PAST TO TALK ABOUT THEIR FIRST BOOK ALMOST TWO YEARS AGO. THEIR REAL SOMETIMES FUNNY TAKE ON THEIR EXPERIENCE WITH RACISM SENT THEIR WORK TO THE BEST SELLERS LIST. >> AND NOW THE SISTERS ARE BACK WITH A BRAND-NEW BOOK, A COLLECTION OF HILARIOUS INTERGEMERATIONAL ANECDOTES. "NEW YORK TIMES" BEST-SELLING AUTHORS LACEY LAMAR AND HOST OF "THE AMBER RUFFIN SHOW", AMBER RUFFIN. THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING WITH US. ALL RIGHT. FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE FIRST INSTALLMENT, TELL US WHAT THIS IS ABOUT, WHAT YOU ARE HOPING TO ACHIEVE WITH THIS BOOK. >> RIGHT. ONE DAY WE REALIZED THAT LACEY, MY SISTER, WHO LIVES IN OMAHA, NEBRASKA, HAD A TREASURE TROVE OF HILARIOUS RACIST STORIES. SO WE HAPPENED TO PUT IT IN A BACK. THAT WAS "YOU'LL NEVER BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED TO LACEY". CRAZY STORIES ABOUT RACISM. AFTER WE WROTE THAT BACK, RACIST STUFF KEPT HAPPENING TO LACEY. SO WE HAD MORE THAN ENOUGH, PLUS THE THINGS THAT DIDN'T MAKE IT INTO THE FIRST BOOK. WE HAD MORE THAN ENOUGH FOR THE SECOND BOOK. SO WE JUST DOVE IN. >> HELP PEOPLE UNDERSTAND. JUST BY YOU SAYING RACIST STUFF KEPT HAPPENING AND THE THREE OF YOU ALL CRACKED UP. PEOPLE WILL SAY, HEY, WAIT A MINUTE, RACISM IS NOT FUNNY. >> RACISM IS NOT FUNNY. WE ARE JUST A FUNNY BUNCH OF PEOPLE. IT'S BETTER TO LAUGH THAN TO CRY. YOU KNOW, I WOULD SAY WHEN SOMEONE THINKS YOU LOOK LIKE HARRIET TUBMAN, YOU KIND OF GOT TO GIGGLE SOMETIMES. >> AND, REVEREND, YOU HAVE ALL ADDED YOUR PERSONAL -- IT WASN'T JUST HAPPENING TO LACEY. IT WAS HAPPENING TO ALL OF YOU. TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU ADDED TO THE MIX. >> I HAVE MY OWN SECTION IN THE BOOK. I LIKE TO CALL IT HOLY RACISM, BATMAN. IT HAPPENS IN THE CHURCH ALL THE TIME. ONE OF THE FUNNIEST STORIES, I WAS LIVING IN A SMALL TOWN IN OHIO. AND A PARISHIONER DIED WHO WAS NO LONGER LIVING IN THAT CITY. SO I DIDN'T KNOW THE FAMILY. AND ONCE THE FAMILY FOUND OUT THAT A BLACK WOMAN PASTOR WAS PASTORING THAT CHURCH, THEY DIDN'T WANT ME TO BURY HIM. I SAID, Y'ALL KNOW HE'S STILL GOING TO BE DEAD IF A WHITE MAN BURIES HIM. IT'S HILARIOUS. IT'S HILARIOUS. >> GROWING UP, DID YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS, YOUR PARENTS, THEY GIVE YOU KIDS LESSONS ABOUT RACISM. BUT THE SPECIFICS AND SOME OF THESE ANECDOTES, DID YOU HEAR THOSE STORIES GROWING UP? >> YES. WHEN YOU COME HOME FROM WORK OR SCHOOL AND SOMETHING RACIST HAS HAPPENED, YOU COME HOME IN A DIFFERENT WAY, RIGHT? YOU COME UP AND BUST OPEN THE DOOR, GUYS, GATHER ROUND. YOU'RE NEVER GOING TO BELIEVE. MY BOSS MISTOOK ME FOR THE LEADER WHO HAS WORKED HERE FOR 14 YEARS. IT'S ALWAYS SOMETHING VERY FUN AND FUNNY. BUT YOU TEND TO LAUGH BECAUSE A LOT OF -- PEOPLE THINK OF RACISM AS LIKE BIG SCARY EVENTS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN ONE MOMENT IN TIME. BUT IT'S A LOT OF TINY EVENTS THAT HAPPEN DAILY FOREVER. >> IT'S REMARKABLE YOU'RE DEALING WITH IT IN A HUMOROUS WAY BECAUSE IT IS SO RIDICULOUS AT SOME POINTS YOU HAVE TO LAUGH. THERE HAVE TO BE TAKEAWAYS HERE. MOST OF THESE PEOPLE WHO WERE SAYING AND DOING RACIST THINGS TO YOU, WOULD YOU SAY THEY DIDN'T KNOW THEY WERE RACIST OR THEY WERE UNEDUCATED OR DELIBERATE? >> HMMMMM. >> IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF BOTH. IT IS DEFINITELY BOTH. SOME ARE LIKE I'M HERE IN OMAHA, NEBRASKA, I'M GOING TO GET AWAY WITH THIS. I AM HR. WHO IS GOING TO CHECK ME? YES, SOME PEOPLE KNEW THEY WERE BEING RACIST. >> A PARISHIONER CAME UP AND SAID I KNOW THIS IS A MICROAGGRESSION BUT I JUST WANT TO TOUCH YOUR HAIR. AND SHE PUT BOTH OF HER HANDS, RAN THEM THROUGH MY HAIR. AND I JUST TURNED TO WALK AWAY. SHE WALKED BACK AROUND. AND SHE SAID, SEE, THAT WASN'T SO PAINFUL, WAS IT? SHE CIRCLED BACK. SHE KNEW IT WAS WRONG. AND IT WOULD INFLICT PAIN. BUT SHE DID IT ANYWAY. >> WHAT DO YOU SAY TO SOMEONE LIKE THAT? YOU SAID YOU WALKED AWAY. WE CAN LAUGH ABOUT THESE EXPERIENCES, BUT THESE EXPERIENCE WE ALL HAVE HAD ARE PAINFUL AND FRUSTRATING. SO HOW DO YOU AND HOW WOULD YOU RECOMMEND SOMEONE HANDLE THEMSELVES? >> IT'S GOOD TO HAVE AN ANSWER READY. AND I WASN'T PREPARED FOR THAT ONE. SO THAT WAS ONE THING. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT, IN OUR FAMILY WE GET OUR HUMOR VERY HONEST. MY MOM, WHEN SHE GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL, SHE WAS VOTED MOST HUMOROUS. >> YOU WOULD SAY IT'S 50/50? >> LACEY AND THE ARE GOOFUSES. THE REASON WE HAVE THE FUNNY STORIES IS BECAUSE SHE WROTE THEM DOWN. BUT THE FUNNY STORIES DON'T NECESSARILY STICK WITH YOU. WE SKED MOM AND DAD AND THEIR VERSIONS OF RACIST STORIES WERE QUITE HEAVY, RIGHT? I REMEMBER MOM SAID WHEN SHE WAS A YOUNG CHILD IN THE STORE, THEY WOULD HAVE TO GO TO THE STORE, AND ALSO NOT A CHILD-CHILD BUT AS A TEENAGER, THEY WOULD HAVE TO WAIT FOR ALL THE WHITE PEOPLE TO BE CHECKED OUT BEFORE THEY COULD PURCHASE ANYTHING. EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE IN FRONT OF THE WHITE PEOPLE. THE WHITE PEOPLE WOULD STEP INTO LINE, SEE A BLACK PERSON AND STEP IN FRONT OF YOU. THAT BLEW MY MIND. I HAD NO IDEA THAT WAS A THING. >> IS THIS A BETTER WAY TO GO ABOUT IT? THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS WE CAN ALL DO BETTER WHEN IT COMES TO RACE RELATIONS, RACISM. IS HUMOR NOT INJECTED ENOUGH IN TRYING TO BRIDGE SOME DIVIDES THAT WE DO HAVE? IS THIS UNIQUE TO YOU ALL? IS THIS SOMETHING WE NEED TO INJECT INTO CONVERSATION? >> THIS IS ONE OF THE WAYS. WE DEFINITELY DO NOT HANDLE EVERYTHING WITH HUMOR. I MEAN, I JUST HAD NEW NEIGHBORS. I'M NEW TO MY NEIGHBORHOOD. I KNEW IT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN. THE NEIGHBORS JUST CALLED THE POLICE ON ME. THAT WAS NOT FUNNY. THERE ARE A MILLION DIFFERENT WAYS YOU CAN HANDLE IT. WE TALKED ABOUT THAT. YOU CAN HANDLE IT WHATEVER WAY THAT IS GOING TO KEEP YOU SAFE AND GET THE POINT ACROSS. WE ARE NOT TELLING AMERICA, LAUGH AT ALL RACISM. THAT'S DEFINITELY NOT IT. IT'S JUST ONE WAY. >>> BUT WHEN SOMETHING RACIST HAPPENS TO LACEY, YOU CAN LAUGH AT THAT. >> YOUR HEART KIND OF DROPS TO HEAR THAT. WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN? IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD. >>> A FEW MONTHS AGO. >> A FEW MONTHS AGO. >> YEAH. >> HOW WAS THAT RESOLVED, THE WHOLE SITUATION? >> THEY DID COME OVER AND LATER AND THERE WAS A COUPLE OF TEARS. AND I WAS LIKE, HMM. >> SHE WAS LIKE MMMM. >> WHO IS THE ONE THAT NEEDS TO CALM DOWN THE MOST WHEN YOU ALL GET EVERYBODY ON THE PHONE AND HAVE THE MEETING WITH THE TRIBUNAL? WHO IS THE ONE THAT NEEDS TO BE -- IS THAT YOU? >> THAT NEEDS TO CALM DOWN. >> TO CALM DOWN THE MOST. SOMEBODY CAN TAKE IT WITH MORE LAUGHTER. WHICH ONE OF YOU IS LIKE DON'T DO THAT. DON'T GO OUTSIDE. >> OH, WHOEVER IT HAPPENED TO. >> YEAH. >> WHOEVER IT HAPPENED TO IS THE ANGRIEST. >> THANK YOU ALL FOR JOINING US. >> THE WORLD RECORD BOOK OF RACIST STORIES AVAILABLE WHEREVER BOOKS ARE SOLD. AND CATCH THE AMBER RUFFIN CHRISTMAS SHOW DECEMBER 16th IT'S STREAMING.