Gabrielle Union is speaking her truth — and hoping to inspire others along the way. The “LA’s Finest” star recently participated in a panel about female empowerment and inclusivity and she emphasized the need to address workplace inequality and disrupt systems that marginalize voices. She also recognized that being a dissenting voice comes at a cost. Union has been making headlines after being fired from her hosting gig on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent,” and while she didn’t explicitly name the show or network, she made her feelings about her departure from the talent competition clear.
While sharing advice about being a leader in the workplace, the “Being Mary Jane” alumna said, “Don’t be the happy negro that does the bidding of the status quo because you’re afraid. Don’t allow them to call you angry when someone else is called passionate. It’s terrifying. There’s a solid chance you’ll lose your job … I speak from experience,” she acknowledged, speaking to her experience on “America’s Got Talent,” and possibly other projects.
“Do your best because corporations want global dollars,” Union added. “Do your best to try to hold the door open and hold people responsible. Yeah, I’m asking you to do the impossible … I’m fully aware that job loss is on the table … but if you’re not doing it, nobody is.” Union emphasized, “There are a lot of people who are only interested in filling their own plate,” Union continued. “I can’t enjoy my food if everyone else is starving.”
Union spoke to her experiences of “being the only chip in the cookie,” or the only black person in the room. “Being the chip in the cookie, you are always in this situation where you are seeing things, hearing things … and you’re presented with a choice: what kind of chip am I going to be?” she explained. “Are you going to assimilate and allow all of this to go on? Or are you going to say something and immediately be other-ed? Are you going to say something? You know it’s wrong. Everyone knows it’s wrong.”
The “Breaking In” actress revealed that she experienced “anxiety, depression, fear, and terror” every day deciding if she’s “going to say something.” “Eventually, I couldn’t sleep,” she shared. “I knew I obsessed about every single time in my life where I didn’t say anything. And it got to the point where I was like, ‘That’s not right!’ And every time I chose to speak up and the world didn’t end and I could speak a little bit better, I knew I was doing the right thing. It just made it so much easier.”
“When you’re a follower, often you’re not being led by the right person,” Union observed. “This is not what paradise or salvation looks like to me. You’re using me to prop up fraudulent systems … I want no part of that, so I’d rather lead, even if I don’t know where the hell I’m going … As long as I have air in my lungs, I will always try to cover us all and I will certainly try to center the needs of the most marginalized.”
As Variety explains, Union was reportedly fired from “America’s Got Talent” after voicing concerns about “racial insensitivity, labor code violations like Simon Cowell’s reported insistence on indoor smoking, as well as a hostile climate for ‘AGT’s’ women judges.” NBCUniversal has since met with Union and hired a third party to investigate the claims. Head over to Variety to read more of Union’s words of wisdom at the event.
