Prominent SC activist apologizes for defending anti-Semitic remarks from Nick Cannon
Lawrence Nathaniel, one of the most visible leaders of recent protests in Columbia against systemic racism and police brutality, has apologized after initially defending anti-Semitic remarks made by celebrity Nick Cannon.
“It was a mistake of mine just to even comment, and it was dumb, and everything I said was pretty much ignorant, to the point that most of it was conspiracy theories and not actually hearing the research,” Nathaniel told The State.
Speaking on his podcast “Cannon’s Class,” Cannon promoted anti-Semitic conspiracy theories about a prominent Jewish family and praised Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who has been criticized for anti-Semitic and anti-LGBT rhetoric.
On Wednesday, Nathaniel told ABC Columbia that Cannon was merely advocating the views of Farrakhan and civil rights icon Malcolm X.
“Personally, I didn’t see nothing wrong with his comments at all. I just think that he spoke the truth,” Nathaniel said. His comments sparked a backlash on the Black Lives Matter South Carolina’s Facebook page.
On Thursday, Nathaniel, who helped organize a large peaceful protest at the South Carolina State House on May 30 and subsequent rallies, said he made a mistake and spoke before understanding the history behind Cannon’s comments. He also said he had reached out to Jewish community leaders in Columbia and Charleston to apologize and learn.
“Not fully understanding the history was my fault,” Nathaniel said.
Cannon has also apologized for his comments after ViacomCBS, which produced his show “Wild ‘n Out,” cut ties with the actor and host. Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish anti-hate speech organization, called Cannon’s apology “overdue, but sincere and strong.”
Nathaniel started the I Can’t Breathe SC organization to push for change in the wake of the death of George Floyd, a black man in Minneapolis. Since then, the organization has relaunched itself as Black Lives Matter South Carolina and applied to be an official chapter of the Black Lives Matter Foundation. It is also now a registered nonprofit with the S.C. Secretary of State.
As a public-facing leader in the grassroots movement, Nathaniel said he hopes to build more ties with the Jewish community.
“Because it’s no longer who had it worse. It’s about, how can we change, so no one else has to live under that system of oppression. Because Black folks are not the only ones under oppression in this nation.”
In a tweet, Nathaniel said he would be “stepping back some” in the wake of the controversy. In the near term, he told The State, that means “staying my behind off social media saying stupid stuff.”
Nathaniel also said he would not speak on issues outside the Black community until he had educated himself more. At the same time, he pledged to continue pushing the city of Columbia for accountability, especially in the realms of policing and community funding.
In the long term, Nathaniel said he hopes to step back from Black Lives Matter South Carolina and go to college. He said he plans to unveil the board for the organization this Saturday during a virtual event and continue to help hire for more positions over the next six to 12 months before leaving the organization “in the capable hands of those board members.”
