"Don't come for me unless I send for you."
An ancient African proverb that Roseanne Barr had to learn the hard way after making a distasteful comment and subsequently getting her life gathered by the entire internet community.
Racism happens. We get it. But in 2018, women of color understand that the only way to resolve it is to confront it. Yesterday, in a social media rant, Roseanne tweeted that former White House aid Valerie Jarrett was a product of the Muslim brotherhood and Planet of the Apes.
The President of ABC, who just so happens to be a black woman, proceeded to get Roseanne all the way together by releasing this statement in response:
"Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show."
Yes, you read that correctly. Roseanne thought it necessary to make disparaging and racist remarks about a black woman, and was consequently fired by a black woman. 2018 just got real.
To anyone else, this may not seem like a big deal, but black women can see the value in Roseanne's unfortunate debacle. There was no discussion, nothing needed further review, or investigation. Rosie's fate was sealed after one tweet, the poor thing.
I'm not one to relish in anyone else's misery, but doesn't it make you feel good to see a woman of color in a position of power that can incite real change? Not just "we'll take your advice under consideration" change but one creating a true evolution of societal views.
So often are we used as props or inspiration, but they had to know they f*cked up when they let us in the boardroom. Channing Dungey is proof of how important it is to have women of color in decision-making positions.
Dungey's decision was backed by a number of industry leaders including Kerry Washington, Viola Davis, Shonda Rhimes, and Ava DuVernay who tweeted in support of the show's cancelling and now reruns of the show are reportedly being pulled from other networks.
Shonda said that although it's sad that that talented actors lost their jobs, Channing made the only decision there was:
"But honestly she got what she deserved. As I tell my 4 year old, one makes a choice with one's actions. Roseanne made a choice. A racist one. ABC made a choice. A human one."
Amanda Seales even got in the mix and took to Instagram to say what we were all thinking:
I have an open mind, but I would hope we could all agree that there are some things that are not debatable, including white supremacy, systemic racism, and hate speech. But for some reason, we continue to see people of color disproportionately disadvantaged by these same issues.
This incident proves how much power there is in numbers.
Previously, black women have been silenced by their societal disadvantages and lacked a platform that reflected their realities. Women like Channing Dungey and Debra Lee fought to the top to change that, and now, we're not letting anything slide.
Featured image by ABC
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While speaking to xoNecole, Eva shares that she’s a lot like the beloved 1994 character in many ways. “Lyric is so me. She's the odd flower. A flower nonetheless, but definitely not a peony,” she tells us.
“She's not the average flower you see presented, and so she reminds me of myself. I'm a sunflower, beautiful, but different. And what I loved about her character then, and even more so now, is that she was very sure of herself.
"Sure of what she wanted in life and okay to sacrifice her moments right now, to get what she knew she deserved later. And that is me. I'm not an instant gratification kind of a person. I am a long game. I'm not a sprinter, I'm a marathon.
America first fell in love with Eva when she graced our screens on cycle 3 of America’s Next Top Model in 2004, which she emerged as the winner. Since then, she's ventured into different avenues, from acting on various TV series like House of Payne to starring on Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Je-Caryous Johnson Entertainment
Eva praises her castmates and the play’s producer, Je’Caryous for her positive experience. “You know what? Je’Caryous fuels my audacity car daily, ‘cause I consider myself an extremely audacious woman, and I believe in what I know, even if no one else knows it, because God gave it to me. So I know what I know. That is who Je’Caryous is.”
But the mom of three isn’t the only one in the family who enjoys acting. Eva reveals her daughter Marley has also caught the acting bug.
“It is the most adorable thing you can ever see. She’s got a part in her school play. She's in her chorus, and she loves it,” she says. “I don't know if she loves it, because it's like, mommy does it, so maybe I should do it, but there is something about her.”
Overall, Eva hopes that her contribution to the role and the play as a whole serves as motivation for others to reach for the stars.
“I want them to walk out with hope. I want them to re-vision their dreams. Whatever they were. Whatever they are. To re-see them and then have that thing inside of them say, ‘You know what? I'm going to do that. Whatever dream you put on the back burner, go pick it up.
"Whatever dream you've accomplished, make a new dream, but continue to reach for the stars. Continue to reach for what is beyond what people say we can do, especially as [a] Black collective but especially as Black women. When it comes to us and who we are and what we accept and what we're worth, it's not about having seen it before. It's about knowing that I deserve it.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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