During a Black Lives Matter protest at the Democratic National Convention, one leader surprised the crowd when she called for segregation.

The protest was directed toward Hillary Clinton as well as the Philadelphia Police Department. One leader spoke on a microphone and said to white people, “If you are here in support, you will appropriately take your place in the back of this march.”

When she said this, several people in the crowd chanted in agreement. She then went on tell Black protesters to instruct any white people they see to go to the back. This request was even extended when the leader then asked for all white media coverage to go to the back as well and allow for Black media to come to the front.

After this happened, certain people in the crowd can be heard suggesting that maybe it would be best if the white people left in general.

Now that several clips of this protest have gone viral, people are wondering if this action was justified. If you think back to the most prolific civil rights marches in history, led by Dr. Martin Luther King, whites and Blacks marched hand in hand for the same cause. However, with the racial tensions at a national high, some feel that this is a moment for Black people to take the lead in a cause that we’ve been behind before it was popularized. 

This is definitely a touchy situation that will continuously draw debates and conversations. What do you think about the comments made at the protest? Is it hypocritical to ask white people to get to the back of the protest? Or were the intentions of the leader ultimately good in spirit? Tell us what you think in the comment section.