New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and rapper Meek Mill headlined a discussion on racism and anti-Semitism on Sunday during the third day of the NAACP National Convention in Boston.
Gov. Maura Healey greeted the crowd before it all started, and the panel discussion -- titled "Hate Has No Home Here" -- included Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., who spoke about how to build bridges to fight against all hate
The discussion also touched on the Charlottesville riots, the upcoming presidential election, and the recent Supreme Court decision to end affirmative action policies.
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Kraft at one point talked about how worried he is about where this country is at currently and where it’s heading.
"Think about going to your church today and needing armed guards outside and inside, this is what's going on in the United States of America, so we have to make people, all people, educated and make them aware," he said. "I know in the case of the Jewish people, we can't solve this problem on our own.
Kraft and Mill also talked about their own personal relationship at one point during Sunday's discussion. The two are notably good friends and have frequently appeared together at various functions, including a march in Poland in April to honor victims and survivors of the Holocaust.
Kraft was one of several celebrities who helped advocate on behalf of Mill, who was released from prison in 2018 after initially being sentenced to two to four years in jail for probation violations in decade-old gun and drug convictions.
The pair's appearance in Boston Sunday comes the day after Vice President Kamala Harris was in town as a distinguished guest on Day 2 of the convention.
"I am just filled with joy and humbled to be with all of these incredible leaders who are here, gathered here in Boston forty years after the last gathering in this historic city,” Harris said Saturday.
There are two more panel discussions scheduled on Tuesday before the NAACP national convention wraps up that day.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
