What’s up?
It’s Emile Ennis Jr. here with Clevver News
and Gabrielle Union just opened up about how
the ongoing pandemic and racial inequality
are impacting her mental health and well being.
Gabrielle spoke out in a new interview with
Women’s Health magazine and before we get
into everything she talked about, I just wanted
to issue a trigger warning.
We will be discussing some heavy topics like
sexual assault, PTSD, and anxiety, so please
only keep watching if you feel comfortable
doing so.
We’ve also linked some resources down in
the description in case you or anyone you
know needs them.
Alright, so in the beginning of the article,
Gabrielle speaks openly about how she is a
rape survivor and how she still lives with
PTSD from the assault.
Over the past few years, Gabrielle has been
open with fans about how she was sexually
assaulted at gunpoint when she was only 19
years old in the back of the Payless store
where she worked.
The assault prompted her to become an advocate
for other rape survivors.
In her 2017 book Gabrielle got candid about
her traumatic experience and how she advocates
for others saying quote “I am grateful I
was raped in an affluent neighborhood with
an underworked police department.
And an underutilized rape crisis center.
The fact that one can be grateful for such
things is goddamn ridiculous…I know this
now because I have spent time lobbying Congress
and state legislatures about the treatment
of rape victims.
I’ve seen the worst-case scenarios, and
they are devastating.
Now, I can appreciate the care with which
I was handled.
Now, I know it rarely happens that way.
And it really rarely happens that way for
Black women.”
Now, in her new Women’s Health interview,
Gabrielle revealed that the events of 2020
have really triggered her PTSD from this experience.
She said quote, “The combination of a pandemic
and this racial reckoning, alongside being
inundated with images of the brutalization
of Black bodies, has sent my PTSD into overdrive.
There’s just terror in my body.”
Gabrielle went on to say that during these
tough times, she’s been utilizing her coping
mechanisms to help her get through.
She said quote, “I break out my emotional
fix-me toolkit, and I try to run through all
the situations.
I call it my ‘what’s the likelihood of
X happening?’
method.
If I’m fearful about going into a store
because I’m anxious about being robbed,
I’ll make myself feel better by going to
one where there will be witnesses to cut down
those chances.
It’s been this way since ’92.
It’s just something I do; second nature.”
In this interview, Gabrielle also spoke out
about her highly publicized “America’s
Got Talent” exit last fall.
The show failed to renew Gabrielle’s contract
for another season in November of last year
allegedly after she spoke out against racism
on set.
And then earlier this year, she filed a harassment
complaint against “AGT” judge Simon Cowell
and NBC, calling the network quote, “a snake
pit of racial offenses.”
Her complaint opened a floodgate of other
entertainment industry–related testimonials
similar to hers.
Gabrielle said that she had tons of people
reaching out to her with similar painful stories.
She said quote, “All of these people came
through the door.
How do I create a larger movement to address
all this trauma and all this harm?
I can’t just swallow the information I now
have.”
And when it comes to whether or not she’s
seen a shift towards racial equality, Gabrielle
said that she’s quote, “not going to factor
in change I have yet to see.”
She went on saying, “For the most part,
across all industries, you see the same power
structure that existed before George Floyd.
All of these initiatives that people are so
excited about — if the people at the top
haven’t changed, and they’re not interested
in creating more space up here, how far are
these people that we’re bringing in going?”
And so Gabrielle said that she is continuing
to do her best to support and promote other
Black folks as best she can amid the ongoing
Black Lives Matter movement.
Whether it’s her affordable hair-care products
and clothing collection, or how she’s constantly
on the lookout for books and scripts by Black
writers to adapt and produce, Gabrielle has
made it her priority to support other Black
creatives in her professional life.
Even for the cover of this Women’s Health
magazine shoot, Gabrielle revealed on Instagram
that it’s her quote, “first cover shot
by a Black woman” and the first time she’s
worn her own natural hair for a cover.
And she concluded the article saying that
she’s always maintained the mentality that
quote “We’re not free until everyone is
free.”
And fans have been taking to Twitter to share
their thoughts on this interview and to thank
Gabrielle’s for her honesty and vulnerability.
One person wrote quote, “WOW I just read
@itsgabrielleu's new article and her bravery,
strength, and resilience should not go unnoticed.
It takes serious courage to be able to talk
about those experiences and she is definitely
helping others by being so honest.
Thank you Gab”
Another fan chimed in saying “No one talks
about Gabrielle Union’s strength.
Why do black women have to deal with shit
like that?”
And this fan added “She is so strong for
sharing all this.
So many people are having a really tough year
for one reason or another so this piece means
a lot to us.”
And we couldn’t agree more.
This is just another good reminder that you
never know what someone is going through or
what silent battle they are fighting.
We have to look out for one another and support
each other, so thank you Gabrielle for that
very important reminder.
And if you want more on Gabrielle Union, click
right over here for another Clevver News video.
Also, feel free to show her some love down
in the comment section below.
I’m your host Emile Ennis Jr., bye guys!
