Black preachers slam former actress Cynthia Nixon for reparations comment

Cynthia Nixon, one of the four actresses who was the center of the one time hit TV show “Sex & the City,” has gotten herself into hot water with several Black reverends in New York City. The candidate for governor of the state made a comment about the legalization of marijuana, saying it could serve as reparations, reports the New York Daily News. In an interview earlier this month, Nixon said that communities of color hard hit by the war on drugs should get first crack at legalized pot as a “form of reparations.” She said in an interview with Forbes, “Now that cannabis is exploding as an industry, we have to make sure that those communities that have been harmed and devastated by marijuana arrests get the first shot at this industry. We (must) prioritize them in terms of licenses. It’s a form of reparations.” But the clergy were not happy with her suggestion. “Your comments make clear that you have no idea of the history and meaning behind the reparations debate in this country. It was a clueless, uninformed remark that did a disservice to black people who have fought for centuries for equal justice and basic human rights,” wrote the clergy members. The signers include Dr. Johnnie Green, pastor of Mount Neboh Baptist Church in Harlem and president of Mobilizing Preachers and Community; Dr. Carl Washington Jr., pastor of New Mount Zion Baptist Church in Harlem; and Rev. Troy DeCohen, pastor of Mt. Vernon Heights Congregational Church and head of Westchester’s United Black Clergy.