Actor Terry Crews has come under fire for calling for unity to end racism amid protests following the death of George Floyd while he was in police custody.
Crews, known for his roles in Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Everybody Hates Chris, tweeted Sunday, “Defeating White supremacy without White people creates Black supremacy.”
“Equality is the truth. Like it or not, we are all in this together,” he added.
Defeating White supremacy without White people creates Black supremacy. Equality is the truth.
Like it or not, we are all in this together.
— terry crews (@terrycrews) June 7, 2020
He received pushback from some Twitter users who accused him of being “ignorant” and labeled him the derogatory term “coon.”
Fellow actor Tyler James Williams responded to Crews’s tweet, saying, “I’m not trying to call you out @terrycrews. You know it’s all love always. But we’re rightfully angry right now and fed up with anyone not with our cause wholeheartedly.”
He added, “I don’t want to see that energy pointed your way or diverted from the cause.”
Crews replied to Williams by saying that he “was not saying Black supremacy exists” but that “if both Black and Whites don’t continue to work together– bad attitudes and resentments can create a dangerous self-righteousness.”
I understand, Tyler. I was not saying Black supremacy exists, because it doesn’t. I am saying if both Black and Whites don’t continue to work together– bad attitudes and resentments can create a dangerous self-righteousness. That’s all. https://t.co/YLWGnpj8fl
— terry crews (@terrycrews) June 8, 2020
Crews also sent follow-up tweets defending his statement and answering people criticizing him.
I agree. I’m not discussing white people here. there are “gatekeepers of Blackness” within our own community who decide who’s Black and who’s not. I have often been called out for not being “black enough”. How can that be? https://t.co/Tt9Og866x6
— terry crews (@terrycrews) June 8, 2020
Kevin, I’ve learned that people will take anything you say and twist it for their own evil. Anything. https://t.co/FszLI1pYbu
— terry crews (@terrycrews) June 8, 2020
He also addressed people hurling racial slurs at him and urged them to break away from “groupthink.”
“Any Black person who calls me a coon or and Uncle Tom for promoting EQUALITY is a Black Supremist, because they have determined who’s Black and who is not,” he tweeted.
Any Black person who calls me a coon or and Uncle Tom for promoting EQUALITY is a Black Supremist, because they have determined who’s Black and who is not.
— terry crews (@terrycrews) June 8, 2020
“Please know that everything I’ve said comes from a spirit of love and reconciliation, for the Black community first, then the world as a whole, in hopes to see a better future for Black people,” Crews said on Monday. “I believe it is important we not suffer from groupthink, and we keep minds of our own, and be allowed to ask difficult questions to each other. I believe this dialogue is important as we get through this trauma together. I love you.”
I believe it is important we not suffer from groupthink, and we keep minds of our own, and be allowed to ask difficult questions to each other. I believe this dialogue is important as we get through this trauma together. I love you.
— terry crews (@terrycrews) June 8, 2020
Protests and riots have spread across the country in the wake of Floyd’s death. Floyd, a black man, died after he was arrested for allegedly using a counterfeit $20 bill at a convenience store on May 25 in Minneapolis. Former police officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, was filmed holding his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes before he died.
Chauvin has been fired from the force and charged with second-degree murder. Three other officers involved with the death, Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng, and Tou Thao, have been charged with aiding and abetting murder.
People enraged by Floyd’s death have taken to the streets in cities to protest against police brutality and racism. Many of the protests have been peaceful, but some have turned violent, most notably in New York City, leaving stores looted, property destroyed, and police officers injured.
