Laila Ali gets dragged for post defending anti-maskers, anti-vaxxers
Muhammad Ali's daughter is facing some heat on Twitter after her post said people can, "trust their own immune systems with COVID-19"
Laila Ali is under some hot water. The media personality and ex-professional boxer is getting dragged on Twitter for her post defending anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues and the Delta variant surges, now more than ever people seem to be getting the word out there to get vaccinated, wear your mask and do all that we can to stop the spread. While of course, not everyone shares similar sentiments, celebrities seem to continually get in hot water when spreading misinformation in this day in age.
Now, Ali is the one in the spotlight after recently sharing a post to her social media commenting on the anti-mask movement, writing that it’s a “God given choice.”
In her now-infamous post, Ali wrote, “People don’t seem to understand that just b/c some folks don’t wear masks, don’t want the shot, don’t listen to the media or live in fear…it doesn’t mean they don’t ‘believe’ the virus is real or think they can’t get it! They know it was created to harm humanity!”
She continued in her post, “They simply choose to build up & trust their own immune system like they have been doing all their life. If they get it, they will deal with it!! It’s a God given choice. I know, this kind of faith is impossible for some to comprehend. But lean not on your own understanding.”
Concluding the post, she wrote, “Before you claim they are ‘putting others in danger,’ you should do your own research to learn if that’s actually true. You can’t change anyone but yourself, So YOU DO YOU!” She then added a “Real Talk” sticker underneath the post.
Naturally, Twitter was not having Ali’s message, with people calling her “ignorant” and sharing “dangerous” rhetoric. One user wrote, “It’s very disappointing to see prominent people Laila Ali to lead other less privileged black people astray with her antivaxxer, anti-mask nonsense. If this woman gets sick and decides to seek healthcare she’ll get the best treatment. The rest of y’all will be sent home to die.”
The same user continued to speak to how this negatively impacts people in real-time, writing, “It’s already happening. Many unvaccinated black people are presenting to ERs with COVID 19 symptoms & being sent back home, by the time they come back, they’re barely salvageable if at all, while their white counterparts are being admitted…”
Another user wrote, “Laila Ali saying “DO YOU” during a global pandemic… Ma’am, do you not know how science works??? All these graduates of YouTube Science University.”
Meanwhile, the Muhammad Ali Center seems to be firmly standing with the science. They wrote in a tweet last March, “Today is the anniversary of @WHO’s declaration of the #COVID19 pandemic. We honor all of those who have died as a result of the virus, their families & friends, the healthcare and other frontline workers, and the scientists who worked so tirelessly to develop vaccines to help us.”
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!
TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. Download theGrio today!
