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.
“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.”