Rapper and The Masked Singer host Nick Cannon is demanding that the U.S. dismantle the “racist systems” upon which the country was built, adding that the war on drugs and prison systems constitute a form of “modern day slavery” for black Americans.
Nick Cannon discussed his commitment to “racial justice” in a Variety cover story in which he also outlined his hopes for the country following days of #BlackLivesMatter protests.
“I want us to focus on our humanity and dismantling racist systems that we don’t need, that perpetuate crimes of inequality and oppress communities of color all over our country,” he told Variety. “We have to dismantle all of those systems that this country was built on.”
He also sounded off on race relations, saying that people who support certain institutions, like the war on drugs, are by definition supporting racism.
“That’s why so many people get it wrong when it comes to racism. People think, ‘Oh no, I’m not a racist.’ But if you support this system, you support racism. If you don’t step up and say this system has been wrong for years — from the war on drugs to the criminalization of Black men in general to the school-to-prison pipeline to the prison-industrial complex. It’s a form of modern-day slavery.”
His comments echo ones he made in a Variety essay he wrote last month explaining why he traveled to Minneapolis to participate in the protests following George Floyd’s death.
“I had to go to Minneapolis,” he wrote in the essay. “I needed to be right there on 38th Street and Chicago where George Floyd’s life was tragically stolen from him. I needed to see the people in that community — how much love they had for their community and their people and how much pain this has caused.”
In his essay, Cannon also pushed for the removal of the word “police” from law enforcement.
“If we’re going to talk about what the solutions are, it has to be complete reform of not just a police department but of policing in general. I think it starts by removing the word ‘police,'” he wrote. “Why be a police officer when you can be a peace officer? When you see a police officer, you’re supposed to feel safe. They’re supposed to protect you.”
He added: “My kids are scared of police officers. In their minds, they’re the bad guys.”
Nick Cannon spoke about his religious upbringing in his Variety interview. His father is a pastor and businessman from Charlotte, North Carolina.
“I live my faith,” he said. “I like speaking things into existence. I mean, I wanted to marry Mariah Carey since I was 12 years old.” (The rapper was married to Carey and has two children with her.)
Cannon told Variety he intends to put his criminology degree from Howard University to use by working in prisons and in marginalized communities.
“This is a transition period for me,” he said. “This feels like my first opportunity to step into manhood.”
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