No matter where he goes, he will always be seen as a Black man, Legend says.

John Legend:  Yes, I think race still matters.

The press likes to highlight conflict more than they like to talk about the good things that are going on in this country. And so I think, in the presidential race, the idea and the significance of race has been overblown. It’s been blown out of proportion. And I think because of that, it’s made it more significant than it needs to be.

But race still matters, and no matter where I go, I’m always going to be a Black man. And I’ll be seen as that, and it’ll carry with it whatever stereotypes or whatever beliefs that people have about it. And I know that when I go into a situation, but I don’t let it become a hindrance. It just is what it is. And I think it’s always going to mean something. It’s always going to matter.

What we should be able to do is have the moral capacity as individuals and human beings to respect each other; and to expect the best out of anyone; and to not judge them by the color of their skin or where they came from, but to truly judge them by the content of their character. And I think fundamentally, the world will be a better place if we’re able to do that. We’re not there yet, but I think we have a chance of being there in the future. And I think we’re moving in that direction.

Recorded on: Jan 29, 2008