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  4. People are calling out Terry Crews for saying that leaving white people out of conversations about race can create 'black supremacy'

People are calling out Terry Crews for saying that leaving white people out of conversations about race can create 'black supremacy'

Samantha Grindell   

People are calling out Terry Crews for saying that leaving white people out of conversations about race can create 'black supremacy'
  • Actor Terry Crews came under fire on Sunday for tweeting about the concept of "black supremacy."
  • "Defeating white supremacy without white people creates black supremacy," the actor tweeted.
  • Twitter users were quick to point out that while Crews' tweet likely had good intentions, black supremacy does not exist in the US, and tweeting about it detracts from the messages of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Terry Crews caught heat on Sunday night after he tweeted that "defeating White supremacy without White people creates Black supremacy."

The "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" actor and "America's Got Talent" host has been vocal in his support of the Black Lives Matter protests, and Crews was among the members of the "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" cast to donate money to bail funds for protesters.

But fans hit back at Crews' most recent tweet about racism in America.

"Defeating White supremacy without White people creates Black supremacy," Crews wrote in his tweet. "Equality is the truth. Like it or not, we are all in this together."

Although Crews appeared to be calling for unity during protests, Twitter users said his message was flawed because he compared "black supremacy" — an idea that can also be called reversed racism — to white supremacy.

Mic journalist Phillip Lewis explained in 2016 that black supremacy and reverse racism don't exist in the US. According to Lewis, power is integral to the existence of racism, as it creates a system in which people are at a societal disadvantage because of their race.

Historically, white people have held much of the economic and political power in the US, while laws like Jim Crow have advanced segregation and disenfranchisement of black Americans.

This power imbalance may help explain why black Americans have been impacted by police brutality at alarming rates and may account for why black Americans are being disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Many Twitter users pointed out that the historical suffering of black people makes Crews' statement inaccurate.

Others felt that Crews' tweet was misguided.

Actor Tyler James Williams responded to Crews tweet and said his message may cause anger to be "diverted away from the cause."

"Our people are tired of white people who put on a good face a claim they "arnt racist" while operating and benefiting from the privilege of a clearly racist system," Williams wrote. "We're not trying to do this alone. We KNOW we can't. But we refuse to have allies who won't go the distance."

"I understand, Tyler," Crews responded. "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."

Crews later doubled down on his original tweet, saying that many black Twitter users criticizing him are perpetuating the unfounded notion of "black supremacy."

Representatives for Crews did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Crews previously received backlash for not supporting Gabrielle Union after she reportedly spoke out against instances of racism while she was a judge at America's Got Talent in 2019.

As other celebrities voiced their support of Union, Crews stayed silent. He then went on the Today Show and said Union's experience didn't reflect his own, which many saw as him invalidating Union's testimony.

Crews apologized to Union for his statement on Twitter. He recently apologized a second time, tweeting that George Floyd's death had made him rethink his own male privilege.

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