Award-winning R&B singer Mario took to Instagram this week to voice his frustration with aspects of American culture that glorify Black and brown people killing each other.
Fresh off a new album and a recent performance on Good Morning America, the BET Award and Billboard Music Award-winning artist shared his thoughts about what he considers violent, self-hate in the Black community and senseless gender wars that do nothing but sow division.
“Can we stop praising the killing of our own people please…Our ignorance and self hate in 2025 while the world is shifting by the second is what scares me for brown men, women and children,” Mario posted to his IG story. The message was shared by Hollywood Unlocked.
“Another issue is this Gender war in our community. The separation of family was first, now it’s this war between brown men and women. Bro this sh*t ain’t cool,” Mario said.
Mario sends message a week into Trump’s presidency
It’s unclear what prompted the message from 38-year-old Mario, born Mario Dewar Barrett. It comes a week into the second presidency of twice-impeached, felony-convicted Donald Trump.
Signaling plans to act on his threats, Trump has spent the first week of his second doubling down on what many are calling a fascist agenda.
His administration has launched a legal attack on the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. He’s eliminated DEI initiatives (diversity, equity and inclusion) across the entire federal government and dropped protections against discrimination in the federal workforce.
Trump’s acting leaders of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) have begun immigration raids on individuals and families at restaurants, construction sites, schools and other public places across the country.
Days after pardoning violent insurrectionists who attempted to overturn the 2020 election and with support from Neo-Nazis marching through the streets, Trump has emerged more willing to take authoritarian action early in his second term.
Meanwhile, the algorithms on social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram often amplify divisive arguments between marginalized groups as the billionaires who own the platforms prepare to receive even more tax breaks from Trump.
Mario calls for unity among Black and brown people
Calling the seeds of division a mental illness, Mario said the pain won’t go away without doing the work.
“Not drugs, sex, anger or tearing each other down is going to heal the DEEP INNER WOUNDS,” Mario said, appearing to point to generational trauma that disproportionally impacts Black Americans and other groups of people marginalized in a white supremacist society.
“But we have to think about how much worse our collective reality will be in this country if we don’t shift our awareness inward so that energy can follow it,” he said.
Finally, Mario ended his message with a warning of what’s to come and plea for solidarity.
The world is about to change really fast, again. IT DOESNT HAVE TO BE THIS WAY! May the entities and parasites that permeate our hearts and minds perish with this spark of consciousness.”
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