America’s Got Talent host Terry Crews marked Juneteenth with posts on Instagram and Twitter. The actor shared an image featuring a quote from civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.
Terry’s choice of quote is a clear reference to recent comments he has made about “black supremacy.” He’s faced some backlash for his use of the phrase, but has said he doesn’t regret it.
Terry Crews Posts MLK Quote For Juneteenth
June 19, also known as Juneteenth, is a day celebrating the end of slavery in the United States. To commemorate the day, Terry Crews shared an image of Martin Luther King, Jr., along with a quote King delivered in 1960.
“BLACK SUPREMACY IS AS DANGEROUS AS WHITE SUPREMACY,” KING SAID, IN A SECTION OF THE QUOTE EMPHASIZED BY TERRY, “AND GOD IS NOT INTERESTED MERELY IN THE FREEDOM OF BLACK MEN AND BROWN MEN AND YELLOW MEN, GOD IS INTERESTED IN THE FREEDOM OF THE WHOLE HUMAN RACE AND THE CREATION OF A SOCIETY WHERE ALL MEN WILL LIVE TOGETHER AS BROTHERS, AND ALL MEN WILL RESPECT THE DIGNITY AND THE WORTH OF ALL HUMAN PERSONALITY.”
Terry’s caption for the posts on Instagram and Twitter simply read, “HAPPY JUNETEENTH #Freedomday.” However, those familiar with the actor’s recent comments will understand his reason for choosing this particular quote.
Terry’s Recent ‘Black Supremacy’ Controversy
Earlier this month, in the midst of Black Lives Matter protests sparked by the death of George Floyd and other black Americans at the hands of police, Terry tweeted his perspective on the current issues.
AFTER TWITTER BACKLASH, TERRY CREWS SAYS BLACK MEN ARE NOT RECOGNIZED AS VICTIMS ‘UNTIL WE’RE DEAD’
“Defeating White supremacy without White people creates Black supremacy,” he wrote. “Equality is the truth. Like it or not, we are all in this together.”
Terry Doubles Down On His ‘Black Supremacy’ Comments
In an interview with The Talk, Terry Crews explained, “In black America, we have gatekeepers. We have people who have decided … who is going to be black and who’s not. And I simply — because I have a mixed-race wife [Rebecca King] — have been discounted from the conversation, a lot of times, by very, very militant movements, black power movements.”
Terry said he doesn’t regret using the term, saying he wants to create a “dialogue,” and adding, “Maybe there’s another term that might be better — we’re separatist or elitist…but the thing is, I’ve experienced supremacy even growing up.”
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His choice of quote for Juneteenth suggests that Terry still stands by his comments. The recent post has received mixed reactions. Some praised it, while others took issue with it. One user suggested that it was poor timing, and sounded too much like “All Lives Matter.”
Another user tweeted, “I’m interested in knowing what you think MLK meant when he said this.” Meanwhile, an Instagram user commented that it was “highly dismissive of the entire movement.” Terry has not followed up on the Twitter or Instagram posts as of this writing.