We discuss the rise of white supremacy in the wake of the deadly shootings that killed 50 people in two New Zealand mosques. But the rise of black sellouts like Candace Owens is largely ignored.

However, the New Zealand shooter, like other white supremacists, clearly understands the power of black voices parroting far-right rhetoric. I believe that’s why he cited black conservative commentator Candace Owens as one of his greatest influences.

Owens, 29, morphed from a Donald Trump critic to a Trump supporter around 2017. Now she’s a leading critic of left-leaning black activist groups. Among her many controversial statements is her claim that Black Lives Matter activists are “whiny toddlers pretending to be oppressed.” Such pronouncements fly in the face of the reality that, as of 2016, unarmed blacks were five times as likely as their white counterparts to be shot and killed by police. But that doesn’t matter. When a black person repeats the false claims of racists, white supremacy wins.

That’s what makes black sellouts so dangerous to African Americans, religious minorities, and others. It’s also what makes them so useful to …

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Photo: Candace Owens speaking with attendees at the 2018 Student Action Summit hosted by Turning Point USA at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. By Gage Skidmore / Flickr Creative Commons

Solomon Jones is an Essence bestselling author and award-winning columnist. He is the creator and editor of Solomonjones.com and host of Your Voice weekdays from 10 to Noon on Praise 107.9 radio. Click here to learn more about Solomon.