Black Activist DeRay McKesson Talks With Daniel Caesar After Racially Problematic Comments, Says He’s ”Learning and Growing”

Activist DeRay McKesson reached out to Daniel Caesar, following the singer’s controversial statements about Black people being “mean” to white people.

Earlier this week, the 23-year-old singer went live on Instagram and prefaced his next statements with, “we’re like talking about something serious,” referencing race and social issues. He then went on to defend media internet personality Julieanna Goddard, also known as Yes Julz.

“Why are we being so mean to Julz?” Caesar asked viewers. “Why are we being so mean to white people?”

Goddard – who is white – has repeatedly been accused of cultural appropriation, and was under fire after appearing on the podcast ”Easily Offended,” where she defended her use of the N-word. Goddard was also called out for attacking Black journalists, Karen Civil and Scottie Beam.

As if his first statements weren’t triggering enough, the Canadian singer went on to claim that Black people can mistreat white people and get away with it. “Why is that we’re allowed to be disrespectful and rude to everybody else, and when anybody returns any type of energy to us—that’s not equality,” he said in the stream. “I don’t want to be treated like I can’t take a joke!”

He continued: “White people have been mean to us in the past, yeah, but what are you going to do about it? Tell me what you’re going to do about that? […] Are we on top of society? We’re not. You can’t win the game by choosing to not accept the winning team’s strategy. You have to acknowledge the strategy and build a strategy on top of that.” Caesar claimed he was drunk during the discussion.

However, that didn’t stop Twitter from unleashing its wrath. Many called his words “ignorant,” “irresponsible,” “disappointing,” and “trash.” The following day, McKesson took to Twitter to let his followers know he spoke with Caesar about his statements. McKesson said Caesar was “learning and growing.”

He continued, “We had a frank convo about how his statements disappointed many, reinforced a set of beliefs that did not aid the work of racial equity, & highlighted opportunities to learn. We were both pushed in the convo & it was good. I look forward to seeing him continue to reflect/grow.”