Morgan Freeman: ‘Black History Month,’ ‘African American’ are insulting terms
Global News
Actor Morgan Freeman said the term 'African American' is "inaccurate" and has no real meaning to Black populations living in the U.S.
Morgan Freeman doesn’t like the terms “African American” or “Black History Month.”
In a candid interview about race relations in the U.S., Freeman, 85, told the U.K.’s Sunday Times that Black History Month is an “insult.”
“Black history is American history; they’re completely intertwined,” Freeman argued. “You’re going to relegate my history to a month?”
The Oscar award-winning actor went on to say he doesn’t like being called “African American” because the label is inaccurate.
“I don’t subscribe to that title,” Freeman said. “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.'”
He continued: “What does it really mean? 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.”
He compared the term to others like Irish-American or Italian-American, which denote a country of origin.
Freeman said he instead prefers the term “Black.” He said he agreed with actor Denzel Washington’s iconic quote about being “very proud to be Black, but Black is not all I am.”
