DeVon Franklin and Ryan Seacrest connected on-air on Thursday, June 11, for another insightful discussion on the importance of knowing the difference between being “not racist” and “anti-racism.” The duo also touched on using the word Black versus African American and how Hollywood’s actions affect injustice.
“I think sometimes the knee jerk reaction from white people is ‘I’m not racist,’” DeVon shared. “Well, you have unconscious bias that could be contributing to some inadvertent racist behavior so yes it’s important to be anti-racist, but it’s important to also not allow yourself to think ‘well, I’m not racist’ because then you could actually inadvertently become part of the problem instead of the solution.”
DeVon shared that people inadvertently make racist remarks regularly and that it’s important to recognize them.
“Here it is: People say, ‘Oh man, you’re so articulate!’” he shared as an example. “Thats cool, but a lot of times they’re like, ‘Oh, you’re so articulate for a Black man; Wow! You’re so well spoken!’ You don’t hear them say that about white men.”
The best-selling author recognized “there’s a lot of well-intended white people” and that of course they don’t mean harm, but by educating yourself on the mentioned example, you can assist in change.
“Without compassion there can be no connection and if there’s no connection we can never move forward,” DeVon added.
Watch back the full interview in the video above for more, including to hear why DeVon doesn’t agree with HBO Max removing Gone With the Wind, why he prefers being called Black over African American and much, much more.
Click here for more resources on how to further educate herself and also more ways to get involved.