(ProsperNews.net) – Actor Morgan Freeman has lashed out at Black History Month, saying he “detests the mere idea of it.” Freeman commented during a media interview and insisted that “American history is my history” and one of the most important things in his life.
It is not the first time the Shawshank Redemption star has criticized Black History Month or what he sees as the racialization of US society. Freeman also rejects the phrase “African American” and questions what it really means. He said the term is “inaccurate,” adding that most black people are “mongrels.” Mr. Freeman prefers “black” because it is a one-syllable word that is “beautiful.”
Furthermore, the actor said it is an “insult” to separate blacks from the rest of America and degrading to appoint one month to celebrate their history. Freeman argues that black history and American history are intertwined and inseparable, and failure to recognize that amounts to ghettoization.
Mr. Freeman has also echoed the sentiments of fellow black actor Denzel Washington, who said he is proud of his heritage but is not defined by it. Washington caused a storm of controversy in 2017 when he stated that the American legal system is not responsible for the disproportionate number of blacks in prison. He said the problem begins at home, and a high number of absent fathers yields a lack of positive role models for young boys.
Washington believes that young men without favorable male role models will seek guidance on the “street” until eventually, “the judge becomes your mother, and prison becomes your home.”
Critics condemned Mr. Washington for failing to acknowledge “a culture of oppression of people of color.” Businessman Marcus Davis said the actor’s comments provide cover for an unjust “prison industrial complex” that America has created.
Activist Deric Muhammad, however, agreed with Washington and said people have little control over the legal system but do have control over their lives and what happens in their homes.
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