Legendary actor Morgan Freeman has been nabbing headlines for his candor on the topic of race.
The 85-year-old, who rarely does interviews, was more than open when chatting with ‘The Sunday Times’ about concepts he doesn’t like – a chat that led him to discuss his disdain for the terms ‘African American’ and ‘Black History Month.’
Look inside to see what he said…
When quizzed on his thoughts about racial relations in America, Morgan didn’t mince words. He shared:
“Two things I can say publicly that I do not like. ‘Black History Month’ is an insult. You’re going to relegate my history to a month?”
That’s not all he said.
“Also, [the label] ‘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? Most Black people in this part of the world are mongrels,” he relayed. “And you say Africa as if it’s a country when it’s a continent, like Europe.”
And while Morgan suggested America has a way to go before it gets to its best place as it relates to race relation, he says there are notable positive strides elsewhere. He said:
“Generationally, though, 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.”
Freeman’s comments loosely echo fellow actor Idris Elba, who made headlines earlier this year when he shared he didn’t want to be labeled as a “Black actor.” Speaking to Esquire UK, Elba said at the time:
“As humans, we are obsessed with race and that obsession can hinder people’s aspirations, hinder people’s growth. Racism should be a topic for discussion, sure. Racism is very real. But from my perspective, it’s only as powerful as you allow it to be. I stopped describing myself as a Black actor when I realized it put me in a box. We’ve got to grow. We’ve got to. Our skin is no more than that: it’s just skin.”
Elaborating on the statement, Idris shared:
“I didn’t become an actor because I didn’t see Black people doing it, and I wanted to change that. I did it because I thought that’s a great profession and I could do a good job at it. As you get up the ladder, you get asked what it’s like to be the first Black to do this or that. Well, it’s the same as it would be if I were white. It’s the first time for me. I don’t want to be the first Black. I’m the first Idris.”