Actor Morgan Freeman derides Black History Month: 'My history is American history'
Actor Morgan Freeman once again criticized the idea of a Black History Month.
"I detest it," the 87-year-old actor told Variety Saturday. "The mere idea of it. You are going to give me the shortest month in a year? And you are going to celebrate ‘my’ history?! This whole idea makes my teeth itch. It’s not right."
Freeman added, "My history is American history. It’s the one thing in this world I am interested in, beyond making money, having a good time and getting enough sleep."
Freeman stressed the value of knowing American history. He related it to his upcoming "The Gray House," which is based on the true story of three women who worked as Union spies during the Civil War. Freeman serves as the executive producer for the film.
MORGAN FREEMAN'S SUCCESS ON STAGE AND SCREEN: OSCAR-WINNING MOVIES, BROADWAY SHOWS AND MORE
"If you don’t know your past, if you don’t remember it, you are bound to repeat it," he said.
The Academy-Award winning actor made similar statements about Black History Month. In 2023, he referred to Black History Month as an "insult" along with "African-American."
I don’t subscribe to that title," Freeman said.
"Black people have had different titles all the way back to the n-word and I do not know how these things get such a grip, but everyone uses ‘African-American.’ What does it really mean?," he added.
Most notably, Freeman made national news in 2005 when he called the idea of a month dedicated to Black history "ridiculous."
"I don't want a Black History Month. Black history is American history," Freeman said.
He added that the best way to get rid of racism is to "stop talking about it."
"I am going to stop calling you a White man, and I'm going to ask you to stop calling me a Black man," Freeman told the interviewer.
LEO TERRELL APPLAUDS MORGAN FREEMAN'S OPPOSITION TO DEFUND THE POLICE MOVEMENT
In his decades-long career, Freeman earned five Academy Award nominations and one win for the film "Million Dollar Baby." He also earned a Kennedy Center Honor in 2008 and the Cecil B. DeMille Award, the Golden Globe's lifetime achievement award, in 2012.