US Yet to Solve Racism, Says US Consul

US Yet to Solve Racism, Says US Consul

By Vanessa Obioha

United States Consul General, F. John Bray stated that racism is still a big issue in the States. He made this remark at the premiere of BlacKkKlansman at the ongoing Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF).

Speaking to the motley audience of government officials, businessmen and media professionals, Bray said that despite the denouncement of slavery by the US in the past, that racism has become louder in receny times.

“In the past couple of years, there’s been a lot of news coming out of America about racism. We have not solved the issue of racism in the United States. But we have come a long way. It was less than 100 years of our independence that we declared slavery illegal. I grew up in the 1960s when Martin Luther King Jr Civil Rights Movement was in full swing. Recently, we had a black president, Barack Obama. So we have come a long way but we have not solved the problem. This movie is making a statement about that because it makes you reflect and look at the problem.”

Released in the US in August to coincide with the Charlottesville rally that recorded casualties, BlacKkKlansman is a biographical comedy-drama that revolves around the first African-American detective in the Colorado Springs Police Department , who sets out to infiltrate and expose the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan.

Directed by Spike Lee, the movie stars John David Washington who played the lead role Ron Stallworth; Adam Driver, Laura Harrier, and Topher Grace.

The Consul also seized the opportunity to advocate for a non-violent election.

“We are looking forward to a free, fair and non-violent election in the coming year,” he said.

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