“Brooklyn Nine-Nine” star Terry Crews faced swift backlash Sunday, when he called on Americans — both black and white — to work together to end racial injustice.
Not working in conjunction, he warned, will lead to reverse discrimination.
“Defeating White supremacy without White people creates Black supremacy,” Crews wrote. “Equality is the truth. Like it or not, we are all in this together.”
Almost immediately, “Terry Crews” and “black supremacy” began trending on Twitter, with critics slamming the 51-year-old entertainer for suggesting there could ever be such a thing as “black supremacy.”
Actor Orlando Jones rebuked Crews, writing, “Black supremacy? We represent 13% of U.S. population, hold no institutional power [and] gaslight our coworkers. We got 99 problems and your math isn’t the only 1.”
Screenwriter Darryl Wharton-Rigby found the “America’s Got Talent” host’s words offensive. He wrote, “We have officially entered The Twilight Zone on a day when [Sen.] Mitt Romney marches for [Black Lives Matter] and Terry Crews does the thing he does.”
“Every time I think Terry Crews has done the worst, he always does more,” added Frederick Joseph, an author.
Crews, who is Christian, responded to all the backlash he received. He reminded his critics of the importance of working together, said he is speaking in a “spirit of love,” and called out those who have, in the past, suggested he’s not “black enough.”
Crews’ tweets follow days of protests and violent riots around the country following the death of George Floyd, a black man killed by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is white.
Chauvin has since been charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter.
The well-known entertainer posted a video on Instagram following Floyd’s death.
“First of all, my heart is broken,” said Crews. “George Floyd looks like me. George Floyd could be me. I could easily, easily be that man on the ground with that police officer’s knee on my neck. That could easily be me.”