A quote from Michael B. Jordan’s recent Vanity Fair profile is raising eyebrows.

“We don’t have any mythology, black mythology, or folklore,” Jordan said in the interview. “Creating our own mythology is very important because it helps dream.[sic] You help people dream.”

The Twitter backlash began when Vanity Fair isolated his quote in a graphic and posted it to the platform:

While many on Twitter were upset with Jordan’s seeming ignorance of the abundance of black mythology, others were concerned about the lack of context for the quote and questioned whether Jordan was referring to the lack of black mythology in TV and film projects as compared to the myriad of stories based on European mythology. Still others point out that the quote appeals to the magazine’s white readership and highlights why black interviewers are so important. Perhaps if a black interviewer had been allotted the opportunity to spend the day with Jordan, the interviewer would have asked him about the implications of his statement and properly pressed him for clarification.

Here’s what folks are saying today:

Some Twitter users started creating and retweeting threads full of black mythological stories, including actress Reagan Gomez, who posted a thread full of resources. She also tweeted this, which might properly sum up the anger many feel about Jordan’s comments.

Jordan has yet to comment on the true meaning of his Vanity Fair quote. But until he does, his comments, however inflammatory they might be, have at least provided an opportunity to talk about African mythology and how many black creatives including Jordan can use their power and ability to bring these stories to the mainstream. That way, we don’t have to have these discussions about whether or not black people have a mythology.

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