Texas Democrat Rep. Jasmine Crockett is facing intense backlash after claiming black women experience more “fear and agony” every day than the family of murdered Texas high school athlete Austin Metcalf.
Crockett made the remarks during a lengthy livestream following the sentencing of Karmelo Anthony, who received 35 years in prison for fatally stabbing the 17-year-old Metcalf during a track meet in Frisco in April 2025.
Responding to the case, Crockett pivoted to race and argued that Metcalf’s family could not understand the pain allegedly experienced by black mothers raising sons.
“Black women, especially black women who have black male children live in fear and agony every single day … fear and agony that I promise you the Metcalfs probably never spent a day living that way and we’re going to have to have just some real conversations about race in this country,” Crockett said during the stream.
Rep. Crockett: "Black women live in agony every day that I promise the Metcalfs had never lived through" pic.twitter.com/GVielzMf51
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) June 10, 2026
The congresswoman also appeared to downplay the knife used in the killing, questioning whether it qualified as a “deadly weapon.”
“Well, I would have argued the size of it alone, you wouldn’t even think it’s a deadly weapon,” Crockett said while panelists discussed the weapon used in the stabbing.
Crockett later suggested the jury should have weighed whether the killing involved “one stab versus a gazillion” when determining intent.
“Because those are the ways that you look at intent, right? Like if you got a machete, bro, it’s a wrap,” Crockett said, comparing larger weapons to “a switchblade” or “Swiss Army Knife.”
Rep. Crockett (D) says the knife used to kill Metcalf "was not a deadly weapon" pic.twitter.com/evYfecEhqW
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) June 10, 2026
Near the end of the livestream, Crockett urged more black Americans to participate in jury duty, arguing that too many black defendants face juries that fail to see “their humanity.”
“So, black people, stop walking yourself off the juries. First of all, make sure you show up,” she said. “Stop wondering why our kids are not being saved when you literally have people that don’t even see their humanity nine out of 10 times pulling up to jury duty.”
The comments come after a closely watched trial that lasted just over a week and featured testimony from multiple teen witnesses, including black students, who reportedly testified that Anthony provoked the confrontation and that deadly force was not justified.
Video evidence and witness testimony presented during the proceedings generally undercut the defense’s self-defense claims and painted Metcalf as well-liked among classmates and competitors.
Crockett, who previously launched an unsuccessful Senate bid and has announced she will leave Congress at the end of her term, has increasingly become a lightning rod for controversy with inflammatory public remarks and viral confrontations.
