Devon Franklin kindly confronts Ryan Seacrest about personal silence on racism
Christian filmmaker and preacher DeVon Franklin was invited to talk about race with radio/television host and producer Ryan Seacrest on his popular radio show, where he confronted Seacrest about his personal silence on the matter.
"Now OK, now you're my brother, Ryan. So we're having an honest conversation. I love how you have used 'On Air with Ryan Seacrest' that page, your Twitter to be vocal about these issues. But Ryan Seacrest, the individual, on your social media pages has been silent around this,” Franklin told the radio personality.
Following the death of George Floyd while in police custody, people across the nation have been protesting against racial injustice and for change. While Seacrest has used his work platforms to touch on the matter, Franklin said using his own personal page would be more impactful.
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"That silence is the silence that we need to break because when white men, especially in power, are silent when they have influence, it by definition allows these issues to persist,” Franklin told Seacrest.
Seacrest and his co-host silently listened and agreed with the “Breakthrough” filmmaker.
"Now, I can't tell you what to post,” Franklin continued. “I would just encourage you to think about saying something from your personal page because you do have a voice and you are influential. And when Ryan Seacrest says, 'Hey, you know what? This is bothering me and I don't even know the right thing to say but here's what I know' and then fill in the blank.”
The confrontation impacted Seacrest and after the show, he took to Instagram and shared what Franklin told him about his silence.
“Thank you @DeVonFranklin for being on the show today. These are the tough conversations we need to be having about racism and inequality that has impacted Black communities in our society,” the “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” producer admitted.
“I don’t always know all the right questions to ask, but today was a step in the right direction.
“I’m thankful to be able to use my television and radio platforms to discuss the issues happening in our country today and I recognize the need to use ALL of my platforms to bring attention to these issues. We need to have more of these conversations, both publicly and privately.”
Seacrest will be inviting Franklin back on his radio show “On Air with Ryan Seacrest” to keep the conversation going.
