Morgan Freeman Slams Black History Month: It Is ‘Not Right’

Morgan Freeman, 87, shouldn’t be shying away from his emotions surrounding Black Historical past Month.

Prior to now, the actor has been publicly open about his distaste for the annual commentary. As soon as once more, Morgan Freeman is doubling down on his ideas about Black Historical past Month, questioning why it’s celebrated within the “shortest month in a 12 months.”

In a brand new interview with Variety, the Academy Award winner ripped Black Historical past Month aside, claiming he “detests” it and does not perceive why it’s celebrated.

“I detest it,” he advised the outlet. “The mere concept of it. You’re going to give me the shortest month in a 12 months? And you’ll have fun ‘my’ historical past?! This complete concept makes my tooth itch. It’s not proper.”

“My historical past is American historical past. It’s the one factor on this world I’m considering, past earning profits, having a great time and getting sufficient sleep,” he added.

Freeman additionally spoke on how realizing your previous and the place you got here from is without doubt one of the most essential items of data. “In the event you don’t know your previous, in the event you don’t keep in mind it, you might be sure to repeat it,” he advised Selection.

“Are you aware this track? ‘To every little thing, there’s a season.’ It actually, actually works in present enterprise,” the actor continued. “You are attempting to promote one thing 15 years in the past and no one even appears to be like at you. Then they go: ‘Didn’t you’ve got a mission, a while in the past? Do you continue to have it?’ Life is like that, on this business. You’ve got one thing you suppose is essential, however attempting to persuade others is the troublesome half.”

That is by far the primary time Morgan Freeman has voiced his opinion on Black Historical past Month. In 2023, he sat down with The Times, telling the outlet that the annual commentary is “an insult.”

“Black Historical past Month is an insult,” he expressed on the time. “You are going to relegate my historical past to a month… Additionally ‘African-American’ is an insult. I do not subscribe to that title. Black individuals have had totally different titles all the best way again to the N-word and I have no idea how this stuff get such a grip, however everybody makes use of ‘African-American’.”

“What does it actually imply? Most black individuals on this a part of the world are mongrels,” he added. “You say Africa as if it is a nation when it is a continent, like Europe.”

Morgan Freeman shouldn’t be the one superstar to overtly voice his opinions surrounding Black Historical past Month. “Clueless” actress and former Fox Information contributor Stacey Sprint mentioned she disapproves of the celebration.

“Both we wish to have segregation or integration,” the actress mentioned, per Variety. “And if we don’t need segregation, then we have to eliminate channels like BET and the BET Awards and the Picture Awards, the place you’re solely awarded in the event you’re black. If it have been the opposite method round, we’d be up in arms. It’s a double commonplace.”

Whoopi Goldberg later agreed. “American historical past holds all of us and [Dash is] proper in that. Sure, we’re all People, however we’re not all handled like People,” she mentioned. “And one of many causes that there’s a BET is as a result of networks wouldn’t take quite a lot of the reveals which have an all-black solid. … Sadly, we want issues like BET.”

Whereas Morgan Freeman questions why Black Historical past Month is widely known in “the shortest month in a 12 months,” there are literally just a few vital the explanation why February was chosen.

Black Historical past Month has its roots in Negro Historical past Week, which was established in 1926 by historian Carter G. Woodson and the Affiliation for the Research of Negro Life and Historical past (ASNLH). Woodson selected the second week of February to coincide with the birthdays of two figures who performed vital roles in African American historical past — Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.

In 1976, the ASNLH expanded the celebration from per week to a month throughout the US Bicentennial. February’s designation as Black Historical past Month offers a targeted interval for faculties, organizations, and communities to interact in academic actions, occasions, and discussions that spotlight African People’ historical past, tradition, and contributions.