How racist is it to question the racial identity of this proud Black man?
A theatre director chose an African name and scooped taxpayer funding for ethnic minority arts leaders despite admitting his parents and grandparents were all white. Anthony Ekundayo Lennon has worked on all-black productions and last year won a paid traineeship as a ‘theatre practitioner of colour’.
Born to Irish parents but naturally darker-skinned, Mr Lennon has called himself a ‘born-again African’ and said in 2012 that he had ‘gone through the struggles of a black man’. Starting his career as an actor he embraced his chosen black identity and took a middle name from an African name book as he felt his given name did not ‘fulfil’ him any more, The Sunday Times reported.
Since race is only skin deep, how can anyone doubt the veracity of a man who claims he is black, any more than one doubts the veracity of a man who claims he is a woman?
So offended. Someone call the SPLC already.