Hollywood star, western legend – and a racist? John Wayne once said in an interview that white blacks are superior. Now the US Democrats are calling for the airport named after him to be renamed.
In the wake of the racism debate in the United States, Democrats in Orange County, California want to rename an airport named after western legend John Wayne. The reason was interview statements, in which the Hollywood star, who died in 1979, said that he believed in the superiority of the whites (“white supremacy”) and blacks still needed upbringing, as the station reported CNN.
According to a proposal by the Democrats, which the government of the administrative district now has to decide, the airport, located around 65 kilometers southeast of Los Angeles, is simply called Orange County Airport.
Oscar winner John Wayne (“The Marshall”) personified the traditional values of the US pioneering era as an actor and was known for his conservative political positions. Orange County gave the airport, which opened in 1923, the name of the actor right after Wayne’s death.
In 1982 a 2.70 meter statue of John Wayne was also erected. According to CNN, his son Ethan Wayne said last year that his father’s quotes were being taken out of context.
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