Van Jones: Smollett Is ‘Tragedy Beyond Words,’ Was ‘Jackie Robinson Against Homophobia in the Black Community’
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After Empire actor Jussie Smollett turned himself in to Chicago police on felony charges of disorderly conduct for allegedly staging a hate-crime assault, CNN political commentator Van Jones lamented the ordeal as the “fall of an icon” in the black community and a “tragedy beyond words.”
“This is the fall of an icon,” Jones asserted. “I don’t think people understand how important he has been in the black community. Empire as a show, to have him as a beloved character, I think did a great deal to knock back homophobia in the black community.”