Source: Newsday LLC / Getty
Source: Newsday LLC / Getty
The man behind the film that Kyrie Irving supported and received backlash for, Ronald Dalton Jr., is firmly standing by his work.
The documentary entitled Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America has caused a firestorm of controversy after the Brooklyn Nets guard showed support for it by tweeting out a link to where the film could be found on Amazon. The film was based on a book of the same name written by Ronald Dalton Jr. A press release attributed to Dalton has surfaced, and like Kyrie Irving, the filmmaker has refused to apologize outright.
“I’m not apologizing for nothing because i can’t be Anti-Semitic because i’m an Israelite (Shemite). Still waiting for a debate with the Top Rabbis to prove who is a Israelite by blood & who can rightfully use the word “Anti-Semitic,” the tweet said on Monday (Nov. 7) accompanying Dalton’s press release.
In the statement, Dalton puts blame on “The Mass Media” for causing conflict and setting public opinion against “those who go against their narratives.” He continued: “I implore everyone to take the time to read my books, watch my documentaries, then ‘fact-check’ everything so that we can all have a full understanding of the True history of Black people in the Diaspora, which is now being told from a ‘different perspective.’”
The press release didn’t acknowledge the criticisms that his film denied that the Holocaust happened and included a false quote attributed to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. Dalton would conclude the release on a brighter note, hoping that the situation would cause people to “embrace historical events and facts that are detrimental to the progression of our society as a whole.”
Dalton’s stance does echo Kyrie Irving’s infamous and brief interaction with the press, where he replied that he couldn’t be antisemitic “if I know where I come from.” He would wind up in a heated exchange with ESPN reporter Nick Friedell. Irving would subsequently issue a joint statement with the Nets and the Anti-Defamation League soon after, donating $500,000. The ADL would return the donation from the guard after he flatly refused to fully apologize.
As for Dalton’s documentary, it is still available on Amazon for rent and purchase without any disclaimers about antisemitism attached to it. The global brand has received criticism as well for still having the book and the film available for purchase without any outrage directed towards it or Jeff Bezos, its billionaire owner.
