Carl Lewis wants changes to be made. The nine-time Olympic gold medalist was in Peru for the Pan American Games and he talked about how female athletes deserve equal pay. Lewis also called out President Donald Trump, saying he’s a “racist and misogynist.”
“The reality is that there’s a lot of prejudice, and a lot of prejudice is fear,” he said per a report from USA Today. “We’re afraid to give the same opportunity because it gives us a leg up … the reality is that it’s no different than another athlete on another team. So, yes, I support that.”
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Lewis went on to say that Americans have a big challenge in front of them because of Trump.
“There are a lot of issues going on,” he said. “We have a racist president, who is prejudiced, and misogynistic, who doesn’t value anyone outside of himself. … But that doesn’t mean we can’t fight for what is right for people, and look at others where they may have missed an opportunity or may have been marginalized in their lifetime.”
Lewis calling for equal pay for women athletes comes on the heels of the U.S. Women’s soccer team partnering up with Time’s Up in order to fight for equal pay in the workforce.
“Particularly once they won the World Cup, [the players] wanted to make this fight for equal pay not only about them, not only about soccer, but about the entire system,” Time’s Up’s chief policy and strategy officer Jen Klein said in an interview with TheWrap. “Time’s Up really was founded on very much of the same spirit. We really felt that … the time was past, and that we refuse to wait any longer to end gender inequality and to ensure safe, fair, and dignified work for women of all kinds.”
As for Trump, he held a press conference concerning the mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio and he denounced white supremacy.
“These barbaric slaughters are an assault upon our communities, an attack upon our nation and a crime against all of humanity,” he said.
“In one voice, our nation must condemn racism, bigotry and white supremacy. These sinister ideologies must be defeated. Hate has no place in America.”
Lewis, 58, won his nine gold medals in four different Olympics from 1984-96. He won two gold medals in the 100 meters, one gold medal in the 200 meters, two gold medals in the 4x 100 relay and four gold medals in the long jump.
