The events that took place in Charlottesville has revealed the ugly truth about where we stand today with race in American. From White nationalists inflicting violence, to the call for the removal of Confederate monuments, to Trump’s disgusting response, racism has remained at the forefront over the past week.
To shed light on the issues in America, T.I., Mo Ivory, Andre Dickens, and Ryan Wilson (owner of The Gathering Spot) held the “YouNited” town hall discussion at The Gathering Spot in Atlanta.
After taking a question from an audience member, T.I. spoke about the need to focus on one issue at a time when dealing with racism, hatred, and equality.
“I think everyone should have the freedom that is granted by the Constitution,” However, we can only fight one fight at a time. We all on the side of right and equality. This the fight in front of us right now. We can’t lose focus and say, ‘we need to be fighting for this too.’ We can’t ignore the gift of today by thinking about the fight of tomorrow. This is not any disrespect, but this affects everybody.
T.I. also spoke on the ridiculousness of racism as it relates to the history in America.
“This country was stolen,” T.I. told audience members. “It’s stolen property. We have to understand the psyche of what we’re dealing with. It’s as insane as someone stealing your car and when you see them they lock the car doors and say, ‘No, you can’t get in here.’ These are the same people who were immigrants themselves. They weren’t American. You can’t ignore the horrible truth that is happened which led to the horrible truths that are happening now. All of it is relative. They came over here and stole this property and had their own selfish agendas. They called it the land of the free and immigrants came for the American dream. But they didn’t expect Africans, Mexicans, Dominicans coming to America and being raised in the same schools with White kids. They feel as if their race is being diluted and they’re going to Charlottesville with Tiki torches. This is the insanity of the people we’re dealing with. They are drowning and grabbing for anything. We have to find a strategy that will combat this buffoonery. We’re trying to make sense of it, but this is insanity.”
