Terrell Starr MSNBC

A Philander Smith grad is popping up on major news outlets as the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues. Terrell Starr, host of the Black Diplomats podcast and a senior reporter at The Root, has been sharing stories of survival and escape on MSNBC.

As more Ukrainians flee, Starr is keeping his Twitter followers in-the-know on what that looks like. And he’s even helping them when he can.

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Starr has been giving his reports since before the invasion began, and his long history as a student, devotee and resident of Ukraine gives this Philander grad both a deep understanding of what’s happening and a heart for getting the story out to the world.

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Pointing out Ukraine’s military strength and readiness, Starr disabuses any notion that Ukraine is a waif of a country, helplessly beholden to Daddy Putin’s whims. “If this can happen to us, it can happen to you,” Starr said. “You are living in a world in which you do not think that this can reach your borders, and the reason why it hasn’t is that Ukraine is a buffer between Putin and the rest of Europe.”

Starr traveled to Russia at age 21, worked as a Peace Corps volunteer, has a master’s degree in Russian Studies and another in journalism, and was a Fulbright scholar in Ukraine. People have many opinions about him on Twitter, which range from “he defends Ukrainian Nazis” to “He is Black Santa” to “This is a brother who can break down the entire nuclear armament situation over a glass of Hennessy. Believe this man.” 

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Reasons to watch Starr contextualize international politics on the international scene include, but are not limited to:

This outfit. (Bonus: the face Starr makes at the 7:50 minute mark when a clip is played of Tucker Carlson bleating out the words “Why shouldn’t I root for Russia? Because I am.”)

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This painting, which Starr explains wastes no time in explaining was a commissioned work by a Black Ukrainian woman who was displaced as a result of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Starr explaining complexities of international diplomacy through references to HBO’s “The Wire,” and his own childhood in Detroit:

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