It's "very sad" that 50 years after Dr. Martin Luther gave his "I Have a Dream" speech — and advocated for nonviolence in the face of racism — that violence and tension still dominate race relations, says "The Walking Dead" star IronE Singleton.
"I'm very sad that we have not gotten to the point to where we can disagree with one another without being violently disagreeable, in support of Dr. King," Singleton, who also starred in "The Blind Side," told John Bachman and Miranda Khan on "America's Forum" on
Newsmax TV.
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"We're 50 years beyond that point, and we're still letting our rage and anger get the best of us to where we get physically violent, and I don't understand why it takes an epiphany, in order for us to create change in this world," he said.
"We have to recognize that we're all one, we all come from the same place, we come from the same source," Singleton said. "It's obvious that we have not realized that or else we wouldn't be shooting and killing and fighting and stabbing each other."
"It's unfortunate."
However, Singleton said that "change won't happen overnight."
"Communication is number one and we have to communicate honestly and openly with each other," he said.
"We have to talk about everything. We keep things bottled up on the inside and we don't talk about things, honestly and openly."
He contends that "it starts with us respecting one another" and treating everyone the way we want to be treated.
Singleton is the author of "
Blindsided by the Walking Dead: From Surviving the Streets to Slaying the Geeks," which is a memoir of his life.
"The Walking Dead" actor grew up in Atlanta in a public housing project called Perry Homes that was demolished in 1999.
He described his upbringing, which included a mother who "was addicted to crack" and alcohol, a father whom he only saw twice in his life, and a brother who has been in and out of jail since he was 14 years old.
Ultimately, Singleton says that "it was a relationship with God" that helped him to escape "the most dire situation and to establish that foundation that helped me get through it all."