CM Punk speaks out about Racism

The former UFC Fighter and Former WWE Champion CM Punk delivered an impassioned message about White Privilege and Racism during last night’s episode of WWE Backstage. Punk spoke clearly and deeply, as he was able to express how recent events had affected him.

The following is a full transcript of the uninterrupted three-minute dialogue from The Second City Saint.

“This country has a problem. That much I know. I’m here to tell white people, you need to listen to your Black brothers and sisters and you need to understand where they’re coming from. It’s hard to try to walk in somebody’s shoes, to try to understand where they come from, but there’s almost two Americas.

“When I get pulled over, I’m nervous I’m going to get a ticket. I don’t want to live somewhere where, Mark (Henry), if your son gets pulled over he’s worried he’s going to get murdered.

“I’m just here to tell white people you probably need to shut up more, and you certainly need to listen more. There is a problem, and the paradox is that the only way to deal with intolerance is with intolerance. If you are a white person, you more than likely are privileged. Use that privilege and support your Black brothers and sisters, especially now, because we need it. 

“I’m not here to pretend to understand how black people feel. It’s not my place to tell them how to react.” -@CMPunk

“We live in a time where hatred is stoked at the highest level. I don’t like things that I see and I do what I can to stop it. I think I’m hopefully using my voice for good. Fascism and racism cannot win, and if you’re struggling to come up with a way that you can help, the easiest way to help is to combat that intolerance with intolerance. There’s no room for it. 

“How I relate that all to myself, even though none of this is truly about me, is that the first tattoo I ever saw in my life was a number on my grandfather’s arm. He rode horseback toward Nazi Panzer tanks and now it’s 2020 and we live in a world where the president says that Nazis are ‘very fine people.’ And you can’t walk that back and you can’t tell me he meant something different. 

“If you’re white, use your voice. Protect your Black brothers and sisters, and protect the people who this country was not built for. They may say it was, but everybody has a different experience. And just listen more.”