John Legend Believes African-Americans Aren’t Getting A Fair Shake In The U.S.
John Legend has some strong feelings about race relations in the United States.
Since the tragic shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, people have wondered if African-Americans are getting the same treatment as everyone else in the so-called land of the free. One person who firmly believes that there’s serious injustice taking place across the U.S. is singer-songwriter John Legend.
According to The Huffington Post, Legend shared his thoughts and feelings on the subject during a private performance in Santa Monica, California. In his opinion, “black and brown” folks simply do not receive the same treatment as others in America.
Instead of leaving it at that, John delved deeper into the matter:
“One of our original sins in this country has been racism and slavery. And we still haven’t figured out how to solve that problem. We’ve given our police these military-style weapons, and you know, it’s a mess. But this is not new. The weapons are only exacerbating it. But this was happening with Bull Connor in the ’60s, this was happening with lynchings well before the ’60s, where there were all kinds of extralegal ways for black folks to get killed and for black bodies to not be valued in this country.”
According to AllVoice, a website that agrees with John Legend’s assessment of the current tragedies that have taken place across the nation, African-American men are dying at an alarming rate in the U.S. During his performance in California, Legend said he was shocked at how often this is happening within our borders.
“It’s like every 28 hours — some cop or vigilante kills an unarmed black man. It just shows you that we still have a long way to go. We could do better. And hopefully we will.”
If you think John Legend’s opinion is a little over the top, then you obviously haven’t paid much attention to what’s happening in the United States these days. In addition to the Michael Brown shooting, 43-year-old Eric Garner was killed by a New York City police officer after he was placed in an illegal chokehold during his arrest. Garner was accused of selling loose cigarettes on Staten Island last month.
To make matters worse, Ezell Ford was shot and killed by California police earlier this month. According to the New York Times, the African-American man was unarmed at the time. His family has sense filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the department.
Do you agree with John Legend that “black and brown” people are treated differently in the United States? Let us know what you think in the comments.
[Lead image via Bing]
