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  Newsmakers    ‘John Wayne Day’ scrapped in California over race row

‘John Wayne Day’ scrapped in California over race row

AFP
Published : Apr 30, 2016, 3:10 am IST
Updated : Apr 30, 2016, 3:10 am IST

California legislators voted down a resolution on Thursday aimed at honouring legendary actor John Wayne, after opponents accused him of being a racist.

John Wayne
 John Wayne

California legislators voted down a resolution on Thursday aimed at honouring legendary actor John Wayne, after opponents accused him of being a racist.

The resolution would have declared May 26, the screen icon’s birthday, “John Wayne Day,” but several Latino and black legislators objected to the proposal, citing comments by Wayne that they said were racist towards blacks and Native Americans.

Assemblyman Matthew Harper had submitted the motion, which described Wayne — nicknamed the “Duke” — as the “prototypical American hero, symbolising such traits as self-reliance, grace under pressure, resolve, and patriotism.”

Supporters of the resolution also noted that the actor, who died in 1979 and was known for his conservative views, was an avid supporter of the US military and had contributed to cancer research. However Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez complained that Wayne’s movies included “a lot of slaughtering of Native Americans” and that the actor had sanctioned the white occupation of Indian lands, the daily Sacramento Bee reported.

In a widely-reported 1971 interview with Playboy, Wayne also shared his thoughts on race relations and discrimination. “With a lot of blacks, there’s quite a bit of resentment along with their dissent, and possibly rightfully so,” he was quoted as saying.

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