STREAM EXCLUSIVE ORIGINALS

Matthew McConaughey Asks Former NFL Player Emmanuel Acho How He Can ‘Do Better’ As A White Man

The Oscar winner appeared on Echo’s ‘Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man’ talk show.

Amid  the uprisings across the country protesting against police brutality, some white people are asking how they can be better allies. 

Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey put that very question to former NFL player Emmanuel Acho.
While appearing on Acho’s Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man talk show on YouTube, The Dallas Buyers Club actor asked, "How does someone like me; how can I do better as a human? How can I do better as a man? How can I do better as a white man?"
Acho responded, "You have to acknowledge there's a problem so that you can take more ownership for the problem. The first step to acknowledging is sitting in this chair right here across from a Black man and saying, 'OK, I may not be talking about you Emmanuel Acho, but I may be talking about people who look like you.”

RELATED: Michelle Obama’s ‘When We All Vote’ Adds New Voices To Help Increase Voter Participation
He continued, "You have to acknowledge implicit bias; you have to acknowledge that you'll see a Black man and for whatever reason, you would view them as more of a threat than the white man - probably because society told them to."

McConaughey admitted,  "I didn't see the other side of the coin, as I started off with some of the context that you put things in, even the very simple things that are obvious, like math. Yes, whites and blacks can all have it hard, but whites have never had it hard because of the colour of their skin. That's an obvious thing.”
He also added,  "I may realize that, but I never looked at that side of the coin until you brought it up. I'm diving deeper into how I'm looking at things and how I'm looking at myself."

Watch the full interview:

Acho also discussed his interview with Good Morning America this morning (June 10), see the interview below:

Subscribe for BET Updates

Provide your email address to receive our newsletter.


By clicking Subscribe, you confirm that you have read and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge our Privacy Policy. You also agree to receive marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers) and other information from BET and the Paramount family of companies. You understand that you can unsubscribe at any time.