Maxine Waters, Tamika Mallory, and more sign letter of support for Megan Thee Stallion
The Southern Black Girls & Women's Consortium published an open letter in support of Megan Thee Stallion, condemning violence and praising her courage.
Megan Thee Stallion has a lot of powerful people in her corner — especially women — including Democratic congresswomen Maxine Waters and Sheila Jackson, Dr. Brenda Allen, president of Lincoln University, plus activists like Tamika Mallory and Carmen Perez-Jordan. They were among the more than two dozen signees of a missive to the popular MC this week, sending their support.
According to People, the Southern Black Girls & Women’s Consortium published an open statement, a letter in support of the rapper — born Megan Pete — on Thursday, condemning violence against women and praising her courage. Tarana Burke, the founder of the #MeToo movement, Planned Parenthood CEO Alexis McGill Johnson and commentator Angela Rye were also those signing it, as were the SBGWC’s own LaTosha Brown and Alice Eason Jenkins. “TheGrio News” host Marc Lamont Hill, a Temple University professor, was its lone male signee.
They penned the letter a week after Megan Thee Stallion publicly pleaded with people to “stop using [her] shooting for clout” in response to a phrase on Drake and 21 Savage’s new album, “Her Loss,” that seemed to insinuate the “Plan B” rapper was lying about her 2020 shooting.
Tory Lanez, 30, the singer accused of shooting 27-year-old Pete in the foot in July 2020, will go on trial on Nov. 28, facing one felony count each of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and personal use of a firearm, plus carrying an unregistered, loaded firearm in a vehicle.
Megan The Stallion teamed up with the SBGWC in August for its inaugural “Joy Is Our Journey” tour in August.
“As you’ve risen to the top, you’ve also had to endure a lot of obstacles along the way,” their letter read, according to People. “In the face of triumph and tragedy alike, you always keep your head held high, maintain your poise, and push forward. However, while so many of us celebrate you for your strength and perseverance, it must be said that you have been treated in ways that no young woman – no person at all – should be treated.”
The letter focused on how hip-hop culture failed Megan Thee Stallion following the shooting incident with someone she “considered a friend.” It calls out bloggers for spreading rumors and enthusiastically reporting on the traumatic moment as if it were fascinating gossip, frequently fostering the notion that she has a reason to lie. It also addresses people who should have supported the “Anxiety” rapper but chose to stay out of the situation.
“You don’t deserve any of this, Megan,” the letter said, People reported. “You deserve to be heard, to be believed, and, most importantly, to be safe.”
According to the letter, one in three women globally has experienced domestic or sexual violence. The figures are significantly higher for Black women in the U.S., who also suffer from psychological abuse at a higher rate, including humiliation, name-calling and insults.
“Women of all races, cis and trans, are suffering daily and we’re all too complacent,” the letter read, according to People. “From day one, you deserved a chorus of voices saying, ‘We believe you, Megan,’ and though you may not have been able to hear us sooner, know that we are with you now and every step of the way as you continue to heal from this tragedy.”
The letter commended Megan Thee Stallion for continuing to support mental health and well-being in the community while going through her own horrible experience and recovery, especially when her feelings have been “minimized, marginalized, and deemphasized.”
“We salute you for the bravery it has taken to defend yourself in the court of public opinion, though you shouldn’t have had to do so at all,” the letter read, People reported. “We raise our voices against those who have made light of this heinous example of violence against women and will drown them out with our demands for society to take what happens to Black women seriously. You are not alone. You are believed, loved, and supported.”
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