Lacrae, a Black hip-hop artist, sat down with Atlanta megachurch Pastor Louie Giglio on June 14 to discuss race and religion in a videotaped service. Dan Cathy, the CEO of Chick-Fil-A, also took part in the conversation.
The service was intended to create “an open and honest conversation around how racism has plagued our city for generations, and the steps we can all take to confront it head-on in our church, our neighborhoods, and our hearts.”
At 21:38, Pastor Louie explained why he thought people should replace the term “white privilege” with “white blessing.”
“We understand the curse that was slavery, white people do, and we say that was bad,” Louie said. “But we miss the blessing of slavery that it actually built the framework for the world that white people live in.”
Pastor Louie then went on to say that the word “white privilege” made some white people uncomfortable and that was the reason many rejected the idea of it. Instead of thinking of institutional racism as a curse on white people, Pastor Louie seemed to suggest that white people should think of racism as a “blessing” that helped them get ahead.
“I think a great thing for me is to call it white blessing,” he continued. “I’m living in the blessing of the curse that happened generationally.”
Lacrae can be heard snickering at Giglio’s suggestion, but does not interrupt him.
Many criticized the Pastor for sugar-coating the violence of racism as a “blessing” to white people but more notably, criticized Lacrae for staying quiet.
“Lecrae is just the latest example of the type of black ‘leaders’ that are put in spaces that they shouldn’t be in that Malcolm X spoke on over 55 years ago,” wrote @chillin662, accompanied by an interview of Malcolm X in which he spoke out against Black celebrities being used to represent Black leadership.
Lecrae is just the latest example of the type of black “leaders” that are put in spaces that they shouldn’t be in that Malcolm X spoke on over 55 years ago
He was put there because “they” knew he wouldn’t be call them out for their “White Blessing”pic.twitter.com/3y5ECSbNjM
— P. Against The World (@chillin662) June 16, 2020
When Kanye said slavery was a choice, I didn’t think it could be topped. But @louiegiglio just looked Lecrae dead in the eyes and tried to explain to him that slavery was somehow a “blessing.”
When y’all gone divest from yt evangelicalism once and for all??
— Ramses (@RamsesPrashad) June 16, 2020
LeCrae looking like this right about now pic.twitter.com/iMUugkBwr5
— Rod Willie (@RodWill72) June 16, 2020
