When opening up about the ordeal she had in 2019, the Sydney Burnett of 'L.A.'s Finest' says it's 'beyond disappointing' that people think we're in a post-racial era while we aren't.
- Sep 15, 2021
AceShowbiz - Gabrielle Union has recalled a "terrifying" encounter she had with racist people in Croatia back in 2019. When opening up about the ordeal, the Sydney Burnett of "L.A.'s Finest" revealed that "the fear and adrenaline" of the incident left her "all numb."
When sitting down with PEOPLE, the 48-year-old said that she and her friends were initially visiting some of the tourist sites in Dubrovnik. "We wanted to recreate Cersei's steps from 'Game of Thrones'," she began.
Unfortunately, Gabrielle and her pals met Jim Crow and Neo-Nazi's memorabilia in a bar and the patrons didn't want them there. Although they decided to leave, some people from the bar continued to follow them down the street.
"I've never experienced that level of hatred and the threat of physical violence," the wife of Dwyane Wade recounted. "It was such a jolt. And the fear and adrenaline of what happened left us all numb."
However, Gabrielle claimed that the "heartbreaking and terrifying" experience didn't only happen in Croatia. "To go through every instance is to take you through every day of my life," she said. "There are microaggressions and there are all out assaults. That's what it is to be a person of color in this country."
"We think we're post racial but we're not. And that is beyond disappointing," the actress went on. "I don't think people understand the violence that comes with racism, whether it's if you're being chased or you're having to watch someone wear blackface to collect a paycheck. It's violent."
Gabrielle, who also tells the story in her new memoir "You Got Anything Stronger?", believed that racial inequalities and offenses happened too in the entertainment industry. "Who finds blackface funny," she asked. "What about the harm that it causes and the racism that it's rooted in is funny? You are laughing at me, at my features and at stereotypes of people who look like me. Why is that ok?"
