Speaking to Variety on Saturday, June 15, African-American acting legend Morgan Freeman spoke about why he dislikes the idea of Black History Month, which he said he “detests.” According to Freeman, it is American history that matters to him and should matter, not hyphenated history that focuses and praises one group exclusively.
Freeman’s comments on the matter came in the context of his recent production, alongside Lori McCreary, of “The Gray House.” That upcoming show is a drama about the United States Civil War that, according to IMDb, “centers on the three women who General Ulysses S. Grant credited as helping the North win the Civil War.”
So, speaking about Black History Month, Freeman told Variety, “I detest it.” Continuing, the now-87-year-old actor and producer explained why he finds the idea so objectionable, saying, “The mere idea of it. You are going to give me the shortest month in a year? And you are going to celebrate ‘my’ history?! This whole idea makes my teeth itch. It’s not right.”
Continuing, he added that he is interested, when it comes to his history and America, in American history, not any attempt to put a spin on it and make it focused on one group rather than all. He said, “My history is American history. It’s the one thing in this world I am interested in, beyond making money, having a good time and getting enough sleep.”
Further noting why it is so important to have a correct understanding of history rather than a biased view, he noted that those who don’t understand the past will repeat the mistakes of it, a common observation about the historically ignorant. Freeman said, “If you don’t know your past, if you don’t remember it, you are bound to repeat it.”
Freeman also, in the interview, spoke about the entertainment industry, saying, “Do you know this song? ‘To everything, there is a season.’ It really, really works in showbusiness. You are trying to sell something 15 years ago and nobody even looks at you. Then they go: ‘Didn’t you have a project, some time ago? Do you still have it?’ Life is like that, in this industry. You have got something you think is important, but trying to convince others is the difficult part.”
And, commenting on “The Gray House,” he said, “It’s so wide-ranging. There are so many people in the series, because we are acknowledging they were there. If you can do that, if you are given space to do that, bravo. It didn’t just happen to one group of people.” He added, “[With a story like this] you are encouraged to dig. And if you are going to dig, you are going to come up with something.”
Additionally, and related to Freeman’s comments about history, co-producer Lori McCreary spoke about how the show treats slavery, set as it is in the Civil War South, saying, “We are not white-washing, we are not sugar-coating the fact that African Americans were enslaved. They weren’t treated as a full person. When you come out of watching these eight hours, maybe you will look at someone who looks like Morgan or me differently. You will understand their experience, their ancestors’ experience and you will be able to relate.”