On Tuesday, “The Office” actor, Rainn Wilson shared a chilling and blatant display of racism in a suburban Los Angeles neighborhood on Instagram along with one wake-up-call of a caption.
After America’s “The Office” ended, we haven’t really heard much from Rainn Wilson.
He’s definitely made appearance in television in film since the show’s finale, but he’s been pretty under the radar.
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However, that all changed recently when he took to social media to bring something terrible that happened to his friend to the public’s attention.
He took to Instagram earlier this week to share a disturbing and outright display of racism found in his friend’s yard.
He called out the LAPD for their response to the matter — or lack there of.
In a lengthy caption, he documented the situation and how it was handled by local authorities.
He shared a photo of a noose hanging from a tree in his friend’s front yard.
“So my friend Jamey texted me this photo. Looks pretty innocent at first, right?,” he began his caption.
“But when you learn that he and his sister are African American, the photo turns instantly chilling,” he went on.
“This was hung in a tree in her front yard in suburban Los Angeles, to be found by her seventeen-year-old daughter.”
“When the police were called they said, essentially, ‘what’s the big deal?'”
Rainn then carefully explained what the big deal was, with a short history lesson that should, quite frankly, be common knowledge.
“Yolanda lost it. What’s the big deal? Well, officer, the noose is the symbol of lynching which was used to hang thousands of African Americans, especially by the Klan,” he wrote.
“Granted, this is a pretty lame noose. Might have been made by some local kids or something.”
“Who knows. But the fact is it is as strong a symbol of racial hatred, violence and oppression as a Swastika.”
He then explained that he believes even in 2019, too many people are ignorant to the fact that racism still exists in shocking volumes.
“Many folks are in denial about the extent to which racism exists in our country in 2019.”
“Just ask a Black Person. They will tell you stories,” he wrote.
He revealed that his friend, Jamey, had recently experienced another instance of blatant racism.
“Jamey told me today that last year, while playing golf, he was looking for his ball in the brush,” he explained.
“And a white guy who wanted to play through called out ‘Hey, you can hurry up, we don’t have you picking cotton anymore!'”
“Not sure if he was trying to be funny or not but literally Jamey’s great grandfather was an ACTUAL SLAVE on a plantation and was regularly beaten there.”
“That’s not that long ago. Great grandfather. And, perhaps, a relative or two of Jamey’s were lynched.”
“Or saw a lynching. Or heard of a lynching. And now, his niece gets to be reminded of what hate looks like. Right in her own front yard in suburban LA.”
Fans applauded Rainn for not keeping this to himself.
It is so important for people that have the ability to reach a broad audience to use that platform for things like this.
Some people are shocked that things like this are still happening in modern-day America.
It’s far too easy to remain ignorant on issues that might not directly affect you.
This person pointed out that nobody should be taking this lightly — racism is not a joke.
If racism continues to be brushed off and not taken seriously, it will never end.
Another person commented that lately racists seem to be emboldened — wearing their racism with pride.
Being racist is definitely not something to be proud of. It’s something to be extremely ashamed of.
Celebrities have also commented on Rainn’s post.
“Empire” star Taraji P Henson even commented on his post, thanking the actor for being vocal on the subject.
Singer Jordan Sparks also commented, “Oh my gosh. This is horrible.”
According to TMZ, however, the case is open and very much active.
Law enforcement have reportedly told the celebrity news website that they are still working diligently to investigate who hung the noose and charge them appropriately.
Regardless, I am impressed to find out just how woke AF Rainn Wilson really is.
He did the right thing by sharing it on a platform where he knew he could reach a large audience — spreading more awareness.