Just before Thanksgiving, the situation with Gabrielle Union and America’s Got Talent blew up. A few days before the holiday, we learned that Union’s AGT contract had not been renewed – she was being phased out after one season, a season where she brought a lot of social media interest and engagement to the show. We soon learned that Union had been vocal throughout her role as judge on AGT. She was vocal about racist sh-t, about inappropriate behavior and about how Simon Cowell shouldn’t smoke indoors at work. Producers also gave copious “notes” to Union, like her hair being “too black” and sh-t like that.

In the weeks that followed, Gabrielle said little publicly, but she did go back to NBC for some kind of meeting with executives and lawyers, and she reportedly unloaded on them about the hostile work environment she faced for months. NBC has hired an outside firm to look into Union’s treatment and her claims, with an emphasis on investigating sexism and racism. Then, Union appeared this week on a panel discussion for her latest collection with New York & Company. Gabrielle had a lot to say, mostly in the form of advice to women in the workforce on facing daily hostilities, bigotry, misogyny and racism:

Giving advice on being a leader in the workplace, Union 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 quipped, though never mentioning “America’s Got Talent.” “Do your best because corporations want global dollars. 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.”

“How many checks do I need? This financial freedom, they’re shackles, masquerading as zeros in my bank account. There are a lot of people who are only interested in filling their own plate. I can’t enjoy my food if everyone else is starving.”

Union discussed speaking her truth, explaining that she always found power though authenticity, even when it’s tough — especially in an industry where women of color have a history of being sidelined. Union spoke about the difficulties of navigating the grand question “what will I lose?” throughout her entire life. Using the analogy of “being the chip in the cookie” — the only black person in the room — Union explained that ever since she was a little girl, she has wrestled the challenges that come along with speaking up, even when you know you’re speaking up for what’s right.

“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.”

[From Variety]

She went on at length, and Variety has transcribed more of her comments – go here to read. It would have been a good Ted Talk! How To Exist In the World As a Black Woman. What strikes me about Gabrielle is that she is so often cast in real life as the black woman who HAS to educate these hapless white people about how they’re racist and sexist idiots. She’s been doing that for years. And she’s not getting paid for it. Which is another form of oppression, racism and sexism too, in my view. It’s not Gabrielle’s f–king job to tell the NBC bros that she has ample reason to sue their d-cks off and here’s what they need to change. It’s not her job to tell white women to check their privilege constantly. But she does all of it for the good of society. And that’s exhausting too, that she’s out there, mostly alone, doing this work and talking about these things.

Photos courtesy of WENN.