Jussie Smollett's family issues statement on attack: "Jussie is a warrior whose light cannot be dimmed"
The family of Jussie Smollett—the Empire actor who was hospitalized this week after being subjected to a violent, racist, and homoephobic attack in Chicago—has now issued a statement on his behalf. Posted to the social media account of Smollett’s sister, actress Jurnee Smollett Bell, the note denounces the “racial and homophobic hate crime,” while pledging support for Smollett, describing him as “a warrior whose light cannot be dimmed.”
The family’s note also focuses on the fact that the attack against Smollett—which occurred early in the morning last Tuesday—was symptomatic of wider issues facing vulnerable populations throughout America at the present moment:
We want people to understand these targeted hate crimes are happening to our sisters, brothers and our gender non-conforming siblings, many who reside within the intersection of multiple identities, on a monthly, weekly, and sometimes even daily basis all across our country. Oftentimes ending fatally, these are inhumane acts of domestic terrorism and they should be treated as such.
Smollett discharged himself from the hospital the morning after the attack, and was reportedly in “good” condition.