Black Lives Matter activist Jay Morrison recently claimed that blacks in America can only stop violence against each other if they unify and “understand that before we’re American, we’re African first – that’s why it’s ‘African-American.'”
Fox Business host Charles Payne, himself an African-American, went off on Morrison saying “we’re all Americans first and foremost.”
Payne added, “I’m of African descent, and I’m proud of that. But I’m more proud of being an American than anything else.”
Watch the tense exchange below …
Via Fox Business:
Payne countered, “Well I don’t want to speak for all white people here but I will say a lot of people would probably turn around and say the worst part about the treatment of black people in America is how black people treat each other in America.”
To which Morrison responded, “We always spin the point. When does the perpetrator take acceptance, right? You want the victim to take acceptance but when does the perpetrator, the government who created the system that has abused and traumatized the people?”
Morrison then explained, “The solution for us is for us to take some self-dignity, self-pride, by us unifying, understand that before we’re American we’re African first, that’s why it’s African-American.”
But Payne disagreed, saying, “I think we’re all Americans first and foremost. I am an American and I’m of African descent and I’m proud of that, but I’m more proud of being an American more than anything else.”
Morrison repeatedly segregated the descriptor of African-Americans, which is supposed to provide proper identity for the black community by acknowledging heritage while simultaneously proclaiming patriotism.
Morrison instead referred to blacks as “Africans in America.”
He was born in Somerville, New Jersey.
Morrison added that “We cannot forget the perpetrator who caused this misery for us,” referring to white Americans.
Comment: Do you think people of all races should identify as Americans first and foremost? Share your thoughts below.
