John Legend Says He Was Racially Profiled in College
The "All of Me" singer was accused of breaking into his own car by police.
— -- John Legend is opening up about his personal experiences being racially profiled.
Legend will perform in A&E Networks' and iHeartMedia's event "Shining A Light: A Concert for Progress on Race in America," and in an interview with USA Today, the "All of Me" singer recounted a reoccurring incident in college where he said he was unfairly treated like a "criminal."
"(In college) I used to get asked to show my ID to get in my car because they suspected I might be trying to steal my own car," Legend said.
"The fact that black men have to deal with that level of suspicion at all times, no matter if they're Ivy League or what — you know I'm an Ivy League student going to school in West Philadelphia and they treat me like a criminal," the 36-year-old singer continued.
Legend also spoke about his decision to publicly involve himself in the conversation of race relations in America, which some musicians tend to avoid.
"The fact that I am an artist, I feel like it gives me an opportunity to be in front of a lot of people and to do something like we're doing this week," said Legend. "We're using the music to get to people's hearts, but also talking to each other so we open our minds to different people's opinions."
"Shining A Light: A Concert for Progress on Race in America," will air tonight at 8 p.m. ET/PT on six A&E networks, including History, A&E and Lifetime.