John Legend recalls racism experiences in Hollywood

 John Legend is one of the most recognizable faces in all of Hollywood at this point, the star has seen an ever booming rise in his career, since the day he started out.

Recently he became reflective regarding his experiences as a black man in entertainment and admitted to be treated in stark contrast, now, to how he was treated before.

During a conversation with PEOPLE, in support of the National Day of Racial Healing, established by the W.K Kellogg Foundation, Legend candidly spoke about his personal experiences of dealing with discrimination.

He stated, “I’m in a position of privilege and celebrity and all these other things, so there’s a lot of doors that open for me that aren’t open for other people.”

John Legend acknowledged his position within Hollywood, stating, “People recognize me and treat me a certain way because they recognize me. I’m clear that my life now is not the experience of the average black man. I’m fully aware of that.”

Recalling his previous experiences, Legend went on to say, “One of the things that I noticed the most at college was how if people don’t know you’re a student, they treat you like an outsider around campus.”

“I had several interactions with the police where they questioned my right to even be where I was, to get in my own car … so that was where I felt it the most — in west Philadelphia around the campus of the University of Pennsylvania, being treated like I didn’t belong there because I was black.”

“No one ever says it,” stated the singer. “But it’s obvious that they don’t do white students like that and ask for their ID just to get in their own car and question their belonging.”