BY: JENNY JECROIS
After being a judge for one season on America's Got Talent, in November 2019 NBC announced that Gabrielle Union would not return next season. Union brought attention to the racist and sexist incidents that occurred on the NBC set such as comments about her hair being "too black."
Terry Crews, host of America's Got Talent, was asked about Union's allegation on NBC's "Today", he simply dismissed what she bravely expressed. By stating "I can't speak for sexism because I'm not a woman, but I can speak on behalf of any racist comments. That was never my experience on ‘America's Got Talent,' in fact, it was the most diverse place I have ever been in my 20 years of entertainment."
Black women are hurt about his dismissal of Union's situation considering she has been a supporter of him during his adversity in a sexual harassment case.
Shortly after his "Today" Interview, Crews issued an apology on Twitter. In a tweet directed to Union, he said "it was never my intention to invalidate your experience-but that is what I did."
I told @KevinHart4real a while ago, he needed 2 "acknowledge the pain of other people." Right now I have to do the same thing. I want to apologize for the comments I made. I realize there are a lot of Black women hurt and let down by what I said and also by what I didn't say.
— terry crews (@terrycrews) January 31, 2020
Quite frankly, this situation has played out too many times. Black women constantly act as cheerleaders for Black men, but the energy is not reciprocated. Why is that the case? As Malcolm X once stated;
"The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the Black woman. The most neglected woman in America is the Black woman."
Malcolm X ends by saying Black men should be willing to protect and support their women. It is so easy to support Black women and it shouldn't be a burden. We have come so far as a people and through the good and bad times, Black women have proven their loyalty to Black men. Yet, often that the loyalty on their side is absent.
The origin of this sensitive topic is a form of self-hatred among other things. The reality is that there's a lot of self-hate within the Black community. Black women are more frequently dismissed when they express their pain and suffering than any other race or ethnicity. They are seen as strong and more capable to handle hardship, therefore their feelings are usually ignored. Union wasn't going to let this narrative occur again. We are living in a world that has broken us down and it's unfortunate because we are hurting ourselves by going against each other rather than rebuilding as a whole.
We truly need to encourage and love one another and in the spirit of Black History Month, I hope we acknowledge the value of sticking together as a people.
