As Americans continue to protest police brutality and systemic racism in the wake of George Floyd's death, Tiffany Haddish has become a prominent figure in the Black Lives Matter movement, often using comedy to make suggestions about how the country can better fulfill its promise of equality and freedom for all.
On Friday, June 19, amid nationwide celebrations of Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, the "Girls Trip" star addressed a crowd outside the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles during the comedy club's Juneteenth forum.
In a clip from her appearance published by TMZ, Haddish stressed the importance of unity, recalling how the family that bought the house where she was born "worked together" to achieve their version of the American dream.
"Be a real American," she said. "Own something — don't just own debt — own a piece of America."
From there, she segued into a semi-serious joke about white guilt, encouraging listeners lucky enough to have "15,000 acres" to "maybe share some of the s— … give it to one of your black friends."
Haddish, who attended last weekend's All Black Lives Matter event in Los Angeles with her rumored boyfriend Common, continued, "All this white guilt… Don't be feelin' guilty, give some away! … Share! … Buy one of your friends some of those expensive vitamins!"
She wasn't the only celebrity infusing a message of anti-racism with comedy during the holiday.
In a statement to outlets including Deadline on Friday, George Clooney took a stab at Donald Trump's claim he made Juneteenth "very famous" by scheduling a reelection campaign rally for Saturday in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the site of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre, which has been called the "single worst incident of racial violence in American history."
"Thank you President Trump for 'making Juneteenth famous. Much like when Bull Connor made 'Civil Rights' famous," Clooney said in the sarcasm-laced statement, which referenced the Birmingham, Alabama, politician known for his staunch opposition to the Civil Rights Movement and ordering the use of fire hoses and attack dogs on peaceful protesters in the 1960s.
"My family will be donating [$500,000] to the Equal Justice Initiative in honor of your heroic efforts," Clooney added, promising a donation to a nonprofit that works to "end mass incarceration, excessive punishment and racial inequality," according to its website.
Last week, Trump warned on Twitter that any "protesters, anarchists, agitators, looters or lowlifes" who showed up at his rally could expect harsher treatment than protesters have been subjected to in major American cities in recent weeks.