9 Black Celebs Malcolm X Would Call Modern Day Uncle Toms

Malcolm X’s speech on the role of Uncle Toms and modern house Negroes.

Don Lemon

FILE – In this April 19, 2017 file photo, Don Lemon attends the world premiere of “Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives” at Radio City Music Hall, during the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, in New York. The New York Police Department is investigating alleged threats sent to CNN host Lemon. Police on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017, said Lemon, who is black, had reported receiving “numerous threatening and anti-black messages sent to his Twitter account from an unknown individual.” (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)

Don Lemon

On November 5th, 2013 speaking during his regular slot on the Tom Joyner show, Lemon said that police were not always very respectful of the people they stopped, but that tampering with the “formula that has reduced crime in New York City” could be very dangerous. “The question is, would you rather be politically correct or safe and alive?” he concluded.

Over the summer Lemon made an equally controversial comment. In the wake of the acquittal of George Zimmerman, the CNN news anchor found it necessary to blame the dress style of young black males as well as other personal choices as a reason for the injustices they suffer in the United States.

Independent journalism still matters.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Back to top