NFL icon Herschel Walker says Black people are not oppressed, slams celebs who say otherwise
Herschel Walker also encouraged people to vote for Donald Trump in the presidential election
NFL legend Herschel Walker isn’t shy about expressing his views and is now criticizing other celebrities who claim Black people are oppressed.
Walker took to social media on Monday to refute the narrative that the United States was no place for Black people, much less that they were “oppressed” in a video uploaded to Twitter. He tagged President Donald Trump, civil rights attorney Leo Terrell, Fox News, ESPN, and others.
“We’re not oppressed we’re BLESSED in the USA!! The American Dream is the envy of all other countries …vote to keep our Freedom,” the former NFL running back and Heisman Trophy winner captioned the video.
Walker, 58, cited his experience competing in the Olympics as a member of the US bobsleigh team in 1992. He ultimately finished in seventh place in the Games but called his participation an honor.
“I started thinking this poor Black kid from South Georgia got a chance to represent the United States of America,” he said.
“I’ve been hearing from a lot of people saying, ‘we’re oppressed.’ Well I’m here to tell you, you’re not.”
Walker, a prominent Black Republican, took offense to celebrities who believe the color of their skin has held them back.
“So, all the entertainers, all the athletes out there that are telling these people we African Americans are oppressed, well, we’re not. We can do whatever we want to do,” he said.
“Being at the Olympics, I saw so many other countries had envy of the United States of America.”
Walker also used the video to encourage his followers to vote for Trump in the upcoming presidential election on Nov. 3.
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‘We’re the greatest country in the world so remember when you go to that voting booth, remember the American way. Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, so many freedoms that we have,” the Hall of Famer said.
“So, vote for Donald Trump. Vote for a Republican. Because I’m telling you, let’s not throw our country away. Let’s vote for those freedoms we have in the United States of America.”
This is not the first time that Walker has spoken on behalf of Trump whom he’s known since 1984. In August, he appeared at the Republican National Convention and spoke on the opening night. Walker declared it “hurt his soul” to hear others depict Trump as a racist.
“I take that as a personal insult, that people would think I’ve had a 37-year friendship with a racist,” he said in his three-minute speech. “People don’t know what they’re talking about. Growing up in the deep South, I’ve seen racism up close. I know what it is. And it isn’t Donald Trump,” Walker said.
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