An African American actor who is in New Zealand has penned a column in the New Zealand Herald which he calls his Love Letter to New Zealand.
“This is my love letter to New Zealand for all you’ve done for me after escaping a country that made me feel like a natural-born refugee and becoming a well-rounded human to show the same enduring openness you’ve given me,” says Kelvin Taylor.
Taylor is an actor, dancer and model. He travels frequently between Australia, New Zealand and the United States.
He is known for his character portrayal of George Kerr, the Jamaican 800m runner who went up against Peter Snell in the 1960 Rome Olympics, in the TVNZ International Emmy Award Nominated Documentary “The Golden Hour.”
He has also been described as a controversial journalist and social commentator.
“In light of Black Lives Matter and the current state of world, I wanted to thank the New Zealand people for doing their part to help this world, not just for African Americans but for everyone.”
“What I’ve seen in New Zealand contrasts to the US protests, which often appear insidiously complex and at times infiltrated outside of their genuine intentions.”
He thinks the word black distracts from the message.
It is a colour code invented by German anthropologist Johann Friedrich Blumenbach in 1779 he says.
“I prefer to say African to humanise myself more than a colour. To be specific is to be respected and I myself do not want to be painted, or paint others, as one hue.”
Taylor thinks the police angst in America does not need to be shared in New Zealand.
“The police in New Zealand are lovely but underpaid and sometimes under-staffed.”
He says accountability is needed any organisation that is often self-governed: “but comparison is the killer of compassion.
Keep our love with all things individual, not painted grouped together with police, ethnic groups, genders or walks of life.”
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