Days ago, Ben Carson was provided the opportunity to publish an op-ed discussing race and racism in the Washington Post. In the piece, Carson compared racial equity to racism.
"Proponents of equity see no problem with treating groups of people differently based solely on race, as long as it serves their agenda. This is what we used to call racism, and those not blinded by identity politics still recognize it as such," he wrote.
Equity is defined as "being fair and impartial." Racial equity would be defined as the practice of treating those within a system fairly and impartially. In contrast, racism is defined as prejudice or discrimination shown toward one racial group, typically one that is often marginalized.
Days after the op-ed was published for millions to read, Carson appeared on Fox News to expand on his comments. In doing so, he evoked the memory and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
"Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spent a lot of time trying to get people to not look at external characteristics which they cannot change, in which they cannot help, and instead to look at the things that you can change and the things that you can help, such as your character,” he told Dana Perino.
“What kind of person are you? Shouldn't we be paying more attention to that than to external characteristics?"
This is not the first time that Carson has spoken out against the idea of racial equity. During a conversation with Laura Ingraham, he insinuated that Black Americans don't experience "real racism" in the 21st century.
"I grew up in the '50s, and '60s, and I can tell you what real racism was like. It was an everyday event,” he said.
“The world is very different here in America right now. And to use race as a mechanism to obtain power and position, I think it's really quite shameful."
Carson's comments quickly earned criticism from all corners.
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