Isaiah Washington is no stranger to controversy, and it looks like he’s found himself in hot water once again.
prior to saturday grey’s anatomy The star shared a story on her personal Facebook account about the love she shared for her school teachers and old neighbors who were members of the Ku Klux Klan.
“I had some of the best teachers in elementary school and even some neighbors I knew were Klansmen growing up back in Texas,” Isaiah wrote in his post. ,
“I knew where they stood with me, and they also knew where I stood with them. The boundaries were very, very clear, and I still played with their kids.”
Despite playing with his children, he revealed that he still could not drink water from the pipe outside or come inside their homes to eat. Isaiah also noted that their homes were much smaller than the one in which he grew up.
And even though Isaiah was not allowed into their homes, he affirmed that his mother never took those children away. They used to have summer lunches at her house while passing out the Washington family’s “vintage JFK water glasses”.
“I can’t help but wonder, today, if their children are supporting me as an actor today, simply because I showed them the love and respect I have shown them as a true Texan and a true American… “
“… even when his parents and grandparents forbade him from publicly reciprocating it. I wonder.”
Isaiah’s post received mixed reactions, with most being negative.
Like this one, which described his post as “damaging rhetoric”:
Or this one, which included a commenter’s personal experience with KKK neighbors:
This person doesn’t understand why some black people take the moral high road when met with hatred:
While this person strongly suspected those children would grow up to “vigorously” support their careers:
This person believed that if something happened to one of the children under Isaiah’s mother’s care, the children’s parents might react violently:
This man reminded Isaiah that he (and many black people) were taught to turn the other cheek when it came to hate as a means of survival:
And this person felt that Isaiah’s story was “really disturbing”:
Some praised Isaiah’s mother, while others saw no benefit in allowing other children into her home:
Finally, this commenter noted that the actions of KKK members should never be forgiven:
For more context, here’s a look at Isaiah’s Facebook post:
Isaiah Washington / Brandstatter Images / Getty Images