Right-wing radio host Jesse Lee Peterson appeared on CRTV last weekend to declare that racism has never existed and that picking cotton, as many enslaved African Americans were forced to do before the Civil War, “makes a man out of you.”
Peterson joined CRTV host Gavin McInnes on “CRTV Tonight,” where he demonstrated his trademark shtick of downplaying racism in America to conservative audiences. McInnes asked Peterson, “It’s 2018 in America, does racism exist?”
“Absolutely not and it has never existed,” Peterson replied. “It is a made-up word.”
Peterson went on to claim that an iconic photograph captured while police in Birmingham, Alabama, unleashed dogs on black people protesting for civil rights “was just a protest.” He also claimed that segregated drinking fountains weren’t racist, but rather “it was a law that was brought about by the Democrats.”
“Have you ever picked cotton?” Peterson asked McInnes.
“No sir,” McInnes said.
“You have not lived until you’ve picked cotton,” Peterson said. “It’s fun. It makes a man out of you.”
Peterson then brought up his past remarks about wanting to set up a plantation for young black men to teach them a proper work ethic.
