Will Smith Called N-Word on ‘More Than 10 Occasions,’ Talks Racism, Protests, Justified Rage

When it comes to the phrase “Black Lives Matter,” Will Smith has one major question: “What’s the f–king point of contention?”

The blockbuster movie star posed the question during a discussion with political activist Angela Rye on her “On One” podcast where he also revealed his own experiences with racism from police and elsewhere.

Despite being famous for most of his life thanks to a successful rap career parlayed into a successful television career parlayed into a successful film career, Will Smith has never been famous enough to avoid being subjected to a racist system.

And it all started growing up as a Black kid in Philadelphia, where he recalled being “called [the n-word] by the cops in Philly on more than 10 occasions” and said that he was stopped frequently.

He also said that he has a unique perspective because he went to a private Catholic school that was much more white, giving him a view into both worlds. As an example, he pointed out that his white classmates loved it when police showed up, but he was always scared.

In other words, he has a visceral and real connection with the Black Lives Matter movement, which kicked off in earnest after the video-recorded death of George Floyd under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer.

That murder, along with those of Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks and countless others has spawned the largest protest movement in the history of the United States, and despite incidents of violence on both sides, much of those protests have been peaceful.

While Smith said he understands and can appreciate the rage that exists in the hearts of many protesters, saying it is absolutely “justified under oppression,” he also it is potentially dangerous. “You got to be careful not to be consumed by your own rage,” he said.

As he sees it, the far more powerful protest statements are those that are defiantly and vehemently peaceful in spite of everything. “Peaceful protests put a mirror to the demonic imagery of your oppressor. And the more still you are in your peaceful protest, the more clear the mirror is for your oppressor — for the world to see and for them to see themselves,” he said.

He believes that the peace at the heart of these protests is why it has galvanized a global response and is resonating throughout the country, affecting the first ripples of change in institutions far and wide (some way beyond the initial scope of police brutality).

Marveling at the strength and longevity of the movement, Smith said, “The entire globe has stood up and said to the African American people, ‘We see you and we hear you. How can we help?’ We’ve never been there before.”

The actor then seemed to call out President Trump’s actions and reactions during these protests, saying that “loveless, godless leadership” can be so destructive. He then called on the youth of America to lead with love and compassion as they come into their power (and vote).

“Don’t succumb to lovelessness no matter how much evil you face, because you poison yourself and you poison your own community,” he said. So long as these activists hit the polls in November with the same zeal they’ve been hitting the streets, their voices will be heard in every election from the smallest local position to the highest seat in the land.

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