Natalie Portman Acknowledges White Privilege And Says ‘Defend Black Lives’

Natalie Portman has acknowledged her own white privilege in an Instagram post shared yesterday with her 7 million followers.

The actor – and vegan advocate – shared a long post speaking about police brutality against black people and why she supports the movement to defund the police.

In her post, Portman says police have made her feel safe her whole life, but says this is ‘exactly the center of [her] white privilege, as her ‘black friends, family and neighbors feel the opposite: police make them feel terror. And for good reason’.

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When I first heard #defundthepolice, I have to admit my first reaction was fear. My whole life, police have made me feel safe. But that’s exactly the center of my white privilege: the police make me as a white woman feel safe, while my black friends, family and neighbors feel the opposite: police make them feel terror. And for good reason. Police are the 6th leading cause of death for black men in this country. These are not isolated incidents. They are patterns and part of the system of over-policing of black Americans. Reforms have not worked. Minneapolis, where George Floyd was murdered, is one of the most progressive police forces in the country, having undergone extensive anti-bias training. I am grateful to the leaders in the @mvmnt4blklives who have made us question the status quo. And who have made us imagine, what a world could be like in which we invested in nourishing people; (in their education, healthcare, environment, shelter)— rather than putting all of our money into punishment. I’ve gotten to the age in my life, where if my gut feels uncomfortable, I take the situation as wrong. But this concept initially made me uncomfortable because I was wrong. Because the system that makes me feel comfortable is wrong. #defendblacklives#defundthepolice Swipe right for additional resources via @theslacktivists

A post shared by Natalie Portman (@natalieportman) on Jun 8, 2020 at 3:02pm PDT

Cause of death

Portman wrote: “Police are the 6th leading cause of death for black men in this country. These are not isolated incidents. They are patterns and part of the system of over-policing of black Americans. Reforms have not worked. Minneapolis, where George Floyd was murdered, is one of the most progressive police forces in the country, having undergone extensive anti-bias training.

“I am grateful to the leaders in the @mvmnt4blklives who have made us question the status quo. And who have made us imagine, what a world could be like in which we invested in nourishing people; (in their education, healthcare, environment, shelter)— rather than putting all of our money into punishment.”

She added that she has reached an age in her life where ‘if my gut feels uncomfortable, [she takes] the situation as wrong’ but says this concept initially made her uncomfortable because I was wrong. She added: “Because the system that makes me feel comfortable is wrong. #defendblacklives#defundthepolice.”

Defund the police

Portman shared several images featuring information about Defund the Police in her post.

One explaining what it means says: “Defunding the police means reducing police budgets (& power) on local and state level and investing that money directly into poor communities of color through public services.”