Stacey Dash talks Oscars racism, boycott, Black History Month
Actress and Fox News contributor Stacey Dash made headlines and became a trending topic on Twitter after she called for eliminating Black History Month and mocked the Oscar boycotts over race.
Appearing on Fox & Friends, the Clueless actress said it’s “ludicrous” that celebrities like Spike Lee and Jada Pinkett Smith are boycotting this year’s Oscars ceremony over the nominees’ lack of diversity.
“We have to make up our minds,” she said. “Either we want to have segregation or integration, and if we don’t want segregation, then we have to get rid of channels like BET and the BET Awards and the Image Awards, where you’re only awarded if you’re black.”
“If it were the other way around, we would be up in arms. It’s a double standard,” she added. “There shouldn’t be a Black History Month. We’re Americans, period.”
Co-host Steve Doocey asked her to clarify her position: “Are you saying there shouldn’t be a Black History Month because there isn’t a White History Month?” he asked.
“Exactly,” Ms. Dash said.
“The good news is that there’s attention brought to it now,” she said. “But like I said, over the past eight years we’ve had a president who is black, who gets his funding mainly from Hollywood — the elite liberals — so it’s odd to me that this has now become such an issue.”
BET wasn’t happy. They were quick to remind Dash, too, that she was on The Game, a BET original show, from 2009 to 2011. The BET Twitter and Instagram accounts both shared a photo from the show, quipping, “Soooooo @realstaceyldash, can we get our check back… or nah? #Remember #YouWereOnTheGame #AndWeDontMeanTheRapper”
Dash later took to her blog to defend her position, linking to a 2005 interview of Morgan Freeman on CBS’ “60 Minutes,” in which he called the concept of Black History Month “ridiculous.”
“You’re going to relegate my history to a month?” Mr. Freeman, an outspoken liberal, asked host Mike Wallace. “I don’t want a Black History Month. Black history is American history.”
The actor argued that the best way to end racism is to “stop talking about it.”
“I’m going to stop calling you a white man, and I’m going to ask you to stop calling me a black man. I know you as Mike Wallace. You know me as Morgan Freeman,” he said.
