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Ummm have these people never heard of Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman ? How about Morris Dees? White Political Activist Says Majority Of People Want To Believe He’s Of Another Race People can be so ignorant sometimes… So we’re not surprised to hear that Michael Skolnik, a political activist, filmmaker and writer who is one of Melissa Harris-Perry’s regular guests believes most people would rather believe he’s not white because they can’t understand why he’d work so hard on behalf of the poor and people of color. Via The Griot : Skolnik, who has been dubbed a modern-day civil rights leader, has become a voice for young America. His 2012 open letter, titled “White People, You Will Never Look Suspicious Like Trayvon Martin” raised his profile even further, going viral on the Internet. He now serves on the Board of Directors for the Trayvon Martin Foundation, founded by the 17-year-old’s parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin. Skolnik undoubtedly inspires affection and respect among those who applaud his vision to bring to the forefront issues affecting the voiceless. But he completely understands that a good number of people don’t ‘get’ him. “I think that the majority of people want to believe I am not white,” he says, in response to being asked whether people ever speculate if he’s a light-skinned African-American. In fact, his low cut hair makes it nearly impossible to gauge its texture. “If I’m white then it’s confusing. If I’m mixed [race] it’s an easier story to tell. If I’m a light-skinned African-American then it’s a really easy story to tell.” “If I’m white, then wait a second, we’ve never heard a white person talk like that.” Although, Skolnik says the motivation behind his work is pretty simple: empathy or a desire for a more “inclusive” and “compassionate” society. Is anyone surprised to hear that this is even an issue? And for the folks who didn’t realize that white people played a major role in the Civil Rights movement, we’re gonna need you to go back and watch “Eyes On The Prize…” Facebook

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Race Matters: White “Civil Rights Activist” Says Most People Don’t Want To Believe He’s Not A Person Of Color