Cornell West had (more) harsh words for President Obama. West appeared on CNN yesterday to discuss the removal of the Confederate Flag, prior to the announcement of the governor’s call that it be removed from South Carolina’s Statehouse.
West said Obama is the country’s first “n*ggerized” Black president, which is equivalent to the term “Uncle Tom,” or a “house negro”; someone who is scared to speak out against White supremacy.
Reports Crooks & Liars:
“A n*ggerized black person is a black person who is afraid and scared and intimidated when it comes to putting a spotlight on white supremacy and fighting against white supremacy,” West explained. “So when many of us said we have to fight against racism, what were we told? ‘No, he can’t deal with racism because he has other issues, political calculations. He’s the president of all America, not just black America.’ We know he’s president of all America but white supremacy is American as cherry pie.”
CORNEL WEST: You can’t talk about wealth and inequality, you can’t talk about education, you can’t talk about massive unemployment and under employment and you can’t talk about drones being dropped on people in other parts of the world without talking about white supremacy and its ways in which it operates. It doesn’t have to be overt. The president is right about that.
But too many black people are n*ggerized. I would say the first black president has become the first n*ggerized black president.
CNN ANCHOR: What do you mean by that?
WEST: A n*ggerized black person is a black person who is afraid and scared and intimidated when it comes to putting a spotlight on white supremacy and fighting against white supremacy. So when many of us said we have to fight against racism, what were we told? ‘No, he can’t deal with racism because he has other issues, political calculations. He’s the president of all America, not just black America.’ We know he’s president of all America but white supremacy is American as cherry pie.
Though West acknowledged that Obama spoke candidly about racism, recently, he feels that it took too long.
Later in the interview, West explained that White supremacy is not so much about skin color as it about mentality, and that were it not for Ferguson, Baltimore, and Charleston, America would continue to sweep reality under the rug. “Democrats and Republicans play on both of those parties in terms of running away from the vicious legacy of White supremacy until it hits us hard.”
Peep the video below.
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Photo: screenshot
