In light of the “not guilty” verdict for George Zimmerman, rapper Akon has publicly declared that blacks should relocate to Africa where they will allegedly receive better treatment, while NFL wide receiver Roddy White suggested that the jurors kill themselves because of their decision.
Akon, who is of Senegalese descent, wrote that blacks are not being treated as fairly as they should be in America.
Akon concluded his Instagram statement by saying that America is not a country for African Americans.
NFL wide receiver for the Atlanta Falcons, Roddy White’s reaction was more visceral.
White first questioned the nature of the world we live in, and then tweeted again saying that the jurors should “go home and kill themselves for letting a grown man get away with killing a kid.”
The second tweet was re-tweeted nearly 4,000 times.
White later tweeted again, addressing his former statements somewhat defensively, citing how many times people re-tweeted his first judgments and wanted him to “get in trouble.”
It took him a full 12 hours to officially apologize, addressing his original statements as “extreme” and ending the rant with “I am sorry.”
Akon’s suggestion that blacks to return to their “homeland” is not new: The American Colonization Society, founded in 1816, was established in support of sending freed black slaves back to Africa, where it was said they would be freer.
Though some of the group’s supporters opposed slavery, many of the ideological undertones were founded upon the belief that newly freed blacks would be unable to assimilate into a society dominated by whites.
The Ku Klux Klan supported the idea as well.
Though many abolitionists disagreed with the organization as well, the sentiment lives on today.
Dave Chappelle, another black celebrity frustrated with racial relations, took a soul-searching journey to Africa after becoming discouraged with the public’s reaction to many of his routines.