Former NFL legend and human rights activist Jim Brown told CNN something that he’s never shared with anyone else before: White people have helped him.
Quite the shocker Mr. Brown, who would’ve thunk it?
Mr. Brown made the revelation during an appearance on CNN. He was invited to talk with anchor Brooke Baldwin to talk about his visit with President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday afternoon.
When queried about the Whiteness of Trump’s cabinet appointments and advisors, Brown offered that he doesn’t always look at things as “Black and White.” He went on to say, “the three greatest people in my life were White.” His personal holy trinity consisted of his high school coach, high school superintendent and his mentor that advised him to attend Syracuse University among other things.
The quote comes a bit of a shock given Brown’s reputation for brokering gang truces and working with African-American youths in the inner city. But, if you’ve ever flipped through the pages of the numerous autobiographies he’s written in his 80 years on earth, it’s really no surprise. He’s hung with and praised White people for years. Are we to hold that against him now?
He, as well as Kanye West and Ray Lewis, received tons of criticism for just meeting with Trump to discuss race-related issues. While Kanye and Lewis aren’t viewed as the most qualified people to speak for their communities, Brown is a more respected figure based on his reputation and decades of community work.
In another part of the conversation, Brown, who supported Hilary Clinton during the campaign season, celebrated Trump for taking time out to at least talk to people who did not support him.
Brown also appeared on Fox News to talk more specifically about what his meeting with Trump entailed. He says he walked away from the meeting confident that Trump will try his best to help the African-American community.
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