In a podcast from 2012 that has resurfaced, Texas A&M philosophy professor Tommy Curry made comments referencing the killing of white people in context to defending the black community and as a response to racism. He references the movie “Django Unchained,” as point of reference to his talking points.
The clip of Redding News Review podcast was included in an article published Tuesday by The American Conservative, which criticized Curry’s comments. The article includes several other links to examples of Curry’s rhetoric, which contain similar themes.
In the podcast, which is posted on the host Rob Redding’s YouTube channel, Curry began by saying, “today I want to talk about killing white people in context.”
The context Curry went on to explain was the historical past of slave rebellions and the current protection of black communities. Curry further said that the 2nd Amendment has a historical role, which was to arm white people to put down such revolts.
“When we have this conversation about violence or killing white people it has to be looked at in the kind of this historical turn,” Curry said. “And the fact that we’ve had no one address, like how relevant and how solidified this kind of tradition is for black people — saying look, in order to be equal, in order to be liberated, some white people may have to die.”
Following the article, A&M president Michael Young emailed the student body responding to Curry’s comments.
“The interview features disturbing comments about race and violence that stand in stark contrast to Aggie core values – most notably those of respect, excellence, leadership and integrity – values that we hold true toward all of humanity,” Young said in his response.
Young went on to cite the First Amendment, saying that all views and talking points are protected under it.
“The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects the rights of others to offer their personal views, no matter how reprehensible those views may be,” Young said. “It also protects our right to freedom of speech which I am exercising now.”
Despite this, Young said he does not condone what Curry said.
“We wish no violence or harm even to those who espouse hateful views under the First Amendment,” Young said. “Our core values are very much intact, including those for which we stand, and in contrast to that for which we most assuredly do not. This is something that needs to be said here and now and lived in all of our days.”
