CNN primetime host Don Lemon appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on Thursday night to plug his new book on racism and the flaws of white people. He told Fallon that the Capitol riot and all the white unease is over America becoming a "majority-minority" country.
Fallon insisted “One of the biggest points of the book is the importance of learning and being curious about other people's experiences, especially for white people This book is a great way to grow and even just have the conversation, although it's awkward, sometimes it needs to be had.”
Lemon said he wrote the book (This Is the Fire: What I Say to My Friends About Racism) because his white friends said “I love you” but didn’t understand his plight as a black man in America. But Lemon added white people “should not expect all the time, everything to be taught to you by a person of color.” Then it turned to how Lemon's book will cause social change:
JIMMY FALLON: The last chapter in the book, actually, is called "How Change Happens." Looking around today, are you seeing change happen? Is there progress?
DON LEMON: Of course there's progress, and of course we're seeing change happen, and all of the machinations that you see from the alt-right, and from the racists, and from the neo-Nazis, and from the Capitol insurrectionists, you'll be surprised for me -- to hear me say that I'm optimistic about the future. Because I think -- because the reason we're seeing all of that is because people are afraid of how this country is changing
They're fighting a losing battle. The demographics of this country are changing as we speak, moment to moment. By 2045, Jimmy, we will be a minority-majority country, and that is scary for a lot of folks. And that's why you see people storming the Capitol. That's why you see people making up lies about an election being stolen. And that's why you see people fighting tooth and nail to take this country back to a place before people of color fought for equality.
And so I am optimistic that there are more people in this country, especially if you look at the election that happened in November, at least 80-some odd million people who are willing to fight for a more perfect union, which is the promise of this country.
Fallon wrapped up by saying "the book is certainly a step forward to making change happen," and then "I love you, bud."
This Don Lemon lecture on white people needing to learn about racism was sponsored by Audi and Planet Fitness. You can contact them and ask them if they've done enough to "educate" the masses.
