Actor Morgan Freeman criticized Black History Month and the term "African American," calling them both insults in an interview with The Sunday Times.
Freeman made clear his distaste for the two, telling the newspaper, "Black History Month is an insult. You're going to relegate my history to a month?"
The Oscar winner added, "Also, 'African American' is an insult. I don't subscribe to that title. Black people have had different titles all the way back to the n-word; and I do not know how these things get such a grip, but everyone uses 'African American.' What does it really mean?"
He went on to say, "Most Black people in this part of the world are mongrels. And you say Africa as if it's a country, when it's a continent like Europe."
Freeman went on to express to The Sunday Times that society has made great progress regarding inclusion, saying, "I do think we're moving ahead in leaps and bounds ... LGBTQ, Asians, Black, white, interracial marriages, interracial relationships. All represented. You see them all on screen now, and that is a huge jump."
Despite what he sees as progress, the New York Post pointed out that Freeman has recently been criticized for what detractors say is whitewashing the actions of regimes that abuse individual rights.
The actor was slammed for his narration at the opening part of last year's World Cup in Doha, Qatar, where he said, "We gather here as one big tribe, and Earth is the tent we all live in."
Several online commentators said Freeman's involvement with Qatar was not appropriate, with a tweet from one angry fan summing up the criticism: "For a man who played Nelson Mandela — who knew better than anyone the impact & importance of isolation on a country & its success on the ground to change that nation's policy — it is so disappointing to see #MorganFreeman take the money & support an oppressive regime."
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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