'All Skinfolk Ain’t Kinfolk.'

I’m not buying it. You won’t catch me wasting my time protesting in the name of Jussie Smollett.

Period.

Jussie Smollett was found guilty. And sure, plenty of Black men are wrongfully convicted and sentenced. But Jussie Smollett isn’t one of those men. He used his name, fame, and status to exploit racism, homophobia, and hate crimes.

And worse yet, people are still speaking out about the “injustices” of his case. Yes, it is debatable whether or not his sentence is too long. But what isn’t debatable is that he deserves jail time. Let him sit there and think about what he has done.

Hate crimes are real. Jussie’s stunt made the Black community look bad, and it cheapened the Movement. Genuine activists are fighting on behalf of Black people, and for Jussie to so selfishly give naysayers a reason to doubt is embarrassing.

But, you know what is even more embarrassing?

Black people are demanding his freedom and comparing his self-inflicted situation to Emmett Till’s. The Black community has too much to do. Fighting for Jussie Smollett’s self-induced predicament shouldn’t be one of them.

The Black community has to be willing to let wrong be wrong. Jussie was wrong. With a long sentence or not, he put himself in the situation. Jussie deserves what he got—watching Black people chase after his freedom is an error in judgment and poor use of energy.

Please don’t allow him to use his race as a point of sympathy.

Stop fighting for someone just because their race aligns with yours. Right is right, and wrong is wrong. Start fighting for those who the system has abused. Not the other way around.

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This post was previously published on medium.com.

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