VOICES

Jemele Hill

Writer

In July 2020, The Atlantic contributing writer Jemele Hill wrote a highly personal piece in response to Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson’s use of a fake Hitler quote on Twitter. As an ESPN columnist covering the NBA Finals, Hill had written, “Rooting for the [Boston] Celtics is like saying Hitler was a victim.” She continued: “More than a decade later, I still cringe when I think about it… I had made a joke about the Nazi leader who orchestrated the murder of 6 million Jewish people.” Noting that like Jackson, she was black, Hill concluded that “had anyone made a remark trivializing slavery, I would have been incensed. I learned that just because I’m aware of the destruction caused by racism, that doesn’t mean I’m automatically sensitive to other forms of racism, or in this case, antisemitism.” (Photo: LBJ Foundation / Screenshot)