Gabrielle Union brilliantly points out racial elephant in #MeToo movement

'I think the floodgates have opened for white women,' the actress says

Dec 7, 2017

Gabrielle Union is no stranger to speaking out about sexual harassment and assault.

In her book, We’re Going To Need More Wine, which was released only a few weeks after the Harvey Weinstein‘s allegations surfaced, Union recalled being sexually assaulted at age 19.

During an interview with the New York Times, Union said that she had heard so many other women come forward while she was on tour for her book to tell her their stories. The Being Mary Jane star said that she had cried often for these women.

But, she said, even in the middle of a huge cultural shift, she was frustrated by the distinct lack of color in the stories being reported.

–Gabrielle Union nails discussion on raising Black sons: ‘It’s terrifying’–

“I think the floodgates have opened for white women,” she said. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence whose pain has been taken seriously. Whose pain we have showed historically and continued to show. Whose pain is tolerable and whose pain is intolerable. And whose pain needs to be addressed now.”

“If those people hadn’t been Hollywood royalty,” she said of some of the first women to come forward, “if they hadn’t been approachable. If they hadn’t been people who have had access to parts and roles and true inclusion in Hollywood, would we have believed?”

“When we have the microphone, how often do we pass it back to the people who are experiencing a different challenge, but who are equally worthy as having the microphone?”