*Democratic lawmakers in Orange County, California are calling for the removal of John Wayne’s name and statue from the county’s airport because he was a proud racist.
Family members of the late film star are pumping the brakes on the bigot narrative by speaking out and trying to set the record straight, TMZ reports.
John’s son, Ethan Wayne, says of his father … “John Wayne was not a racist. I know that term is casually tossed around these days, but I take it very seriously. I also understand how we got to this point.”
We got to this point because Wayne famously told Playboy back in 1971 … “I believe in white supremacy until the blacks are educated to a point of responsibility. I don’t believe in giving authority and positions of leadership and judgment to irresponsible people.”
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Fun fact: John Wayne was a white supremacist, like you. He said in a Playboy interview in 1971, “I believe in white supremacy until the blacks are educated to the point of responsibility.” Are you going to take this down like you did your “White Power” video? I doubt it. https://t.co/Ig3hiEYKPn
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) June 29, 2020
According to TMZ, the quote is one of the reasons why liberal lawmakers recently “passed a resolution calling out John’s “racist and bigoted statements” and demanding the O.C. Board of Supervisors rename the airport,” the outlet writes.
“Orange County is now a diverse region far different from the time when John Wayne was chosen as namesake for the airport,” the resolution states. It cites a recent annual survey that says 79 percent of respondents see the county’s increasing ethnic diversity as “a source of great strength.”
“An international airport that welcomes millions of people each year should not be named for someone whose beliefs oppose our nation’s values of equal opportunity and justice for all,” said Ada Briceño, chair of the Democratic Party of Orange County.
“There is no question that the words spoken by John Wayne in an interview 50 years ago have caused pain and anger. They pained him as well, as he realized his true feelings were wrongly conveyed,” said Ethan.
In an attempt to rewrite his father’s history, Ethan goes on to insist that his dad “did not support ‘white supremacy’ in any way and believed that responsible people should gain power without the use of violence.”
He also wants you to believe that his father would have pulled the suspected white supremacist cop off of George Floyd, saying … “He would have pulled those officers off of George Floyd, because that was the right thing to do. He would stand for everyone’s right to protest and work toward change.”
Ethan calls it an “injustice” to label his father a racist, especially when John Wayne would have “called out bigotry when he saw it,” he said.
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