People care about Ukrainians because they’re white, MSNBC host says

Black MSNBC host Joy Reid has shared a racial explanation for the outpouring of public and media concern over the Russia-Ukraine crisis, saying Americans are more compassionate about Ukrainians than people in other war-torn nations because those being affected are predominantly white and Christian.

“We should also care this much for refugees and those facing occupation and war in the Middle East and Asia and Africa, too,” Reid said on Monday night’s episode of her show. “The coverage of Ukraine has revealed a pretty radical disparity in how human Ukrainians look and feel to Western media compared to their browner and blacker counterparts.”

Reid contrasted public outcry over the Ukraine conflict to the largely ignored civil war in Yemen, where nearly seven years of bombing by a Saudi Arabia-led coalition has killed thousands of civilians and forced more than 4 million people to flee their homes. Backed by the US and other NATO members, the Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen to target Iran-backed Houthi rebels.