Watch: Trevor Noah Makes a Powerful Point in Speech About Police Shootings and Black Lives Matter
Trevor Noah, the host of The Daily Show used his platform on Thursday night to discuss what has been on millions of American's minds the last few days, the police killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile.
As many celebrities have done since the tragic events took place, Noah voiced his anger, his confusion, and his sadness over the senseless deaths.
"Did you guys see that shooting that happened two days ago?" Noah began. "Because don't worry if you missed it. There was another one yesterday...Two videos in two days of police fatally shooting two black men who, when you watch the video, did nothing to warrant them losing their lives."
He continued, "You know the hardest part of a having a conversation surrounding police shootings in America? It always feels like in America, it's like if you take a stand for something, you automatically are against something else." "With police shootings, it shouldn't have to work that way. For instance, if you're pro Black Lives Matter you're assumed to be anti-police. And, if you're pro-police then you surely hate black people ... when in reality you can be pro-cop and pro-black, which is what we should all be."
Noah continued to ask why video evidence is never enough. "When it comes to videos of police shootings, seeing isn't believing... Why is the video never enough? Tamir Rice, there was a video. Eric Garner, there was a video. Laquan McDonald, there was a video and yet, still, skepticism."
In the end Noah admitted that what angers him the most is some peoples need to deny the racism that exists at the bottom of these killings. "Some people say, 'I don't think there's a problem with the police. You know, Black people are surely doing something. Maybe the black guy did something wrong.' You can't deny the racism. At some point you have to acknowledge it," he said.
This is why having a young Black man at the helm of such an important cultural show means so much. Noah was able to use the platform that he earned to help form the national conversation. The harder it gets to deny that these murders are anything but racially motiveated, the harder it will get for things not to change.