I found myself talking back to the radio this morning in a way that I’ve never quite done before. The station was LBC, one of the UK’s leading radio stations, and the topic in question was British actor Benedict Cumberbatch’s use of the term “colored” during his appearance on the “Tavis Smiley Show” on PBS in the United States.
The uproar that has ensued has left me slightly perplexed. Cumberbatch was discussing with Smiley the inequality of roles for black actors in the UK and the frustrating lack of opportunities for them — a subject that is close to my heart. In doing so, he mistakenly used an outmoded term to describe his fellow colleagues in their struggle.
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We make mistakes. But isn’t it time we started to have more nuanced discussions on race — where heart and intent are taken into account, allowing us to concentrate on the very real battles we face to eliminate the existence of racism from all elements of our world?
READ: Can America handle the truth on race?
