Conservative commentator Larry Elder criticized hurdler Alaysha Johnson for her statement, “this is for everybody that looks like me,” after securing second place in the 100-meter hurdles final at the U.S. Olympic Trials on Sunday, which qualified her for the team going to the Paris Games later this month.
In a video clip that Elder shared on X, Johnson, following her race, attributed her success to divine intervention and reflected on the challenges she faced: “It was all God. … everybody all the time said that I wasn’t good enough, said that I didn’t deserve. And so I did this my way, my team’s way, and just the way that it was meant to be. This is for the hood babies. This is for the people who are poor and come from nothing. This is for everybody that looks like me that was ever doubted, and I did it with a black designer on my chest. This is what I stand for, and I’m making a way for everybody in my position.”
In response, Elder commented, “Alaysha ‘Lay’ Johnson (@ImJustLaylay), congrats on making the Olympics. But why the, ‘This is for everybody who [sic] looks like me’ crap? There was but ONE non-black runner — and she finished next to last. Can we quit this ‘we shall overcome’ BS? For crying out loud, this is 2024!”
Elder’s post, seen by his 1.5 million followers on X, quickly gained traction, garnering around 50,000 likes and over 2,000 comments since it was posted on Sunday. Here are some of the comments:
