On Monday’s “First Take” on ESPN2, co-host Stephen A. Smith reacted to the news of University of Missouri president Tim Wolfe resigning amid racial tension and protests on campus.
Smith first said that Wolfe “had to go” due to the black football players skipping out on football activities until he steps down. He later added (around the 6:10 mark) that “everyone who is white is not racist,” warning black America that just because someone with “different pigmentation” disagrees with them does not make them racist.
“To white Americans out there, accept the reality that, to some level, racism exists. It’s inescapable. It’s a reality,” Smith said. “But to black America, let me make this statement. Everyone who is white is not racist. and it is important to point that out because with this particular incident it was warranted. But that doesn’t mean we turn around and the second somebody disagrees with us of a different hue, pigmentation, culture, etcetera. The second somebody might be oblivious or ignorant to what we are, what we believe, what we feel, etcetera, doesn’t make them racist.”
“Just like folks have an obligation to get whatever racists tendencies may be inside their bones, we have an obligation to appreciate there are a lot of people in this God-fearing country that we live in who are not racist. Don’t be so quick to jump,” he cautioned.
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