Gabrielle Union, You Are Worthy

 photo gabrielle-OWN.jpg
by Jordan Hamilton

As I sat on the couch with my eyes glued to the OWN Network, I watched four very beautiful black actresses of different walks and statures interview with Oprah. I was excited to see such great woman come together and speak on touchy subjects they had kept mum for some time. Unfortunately, I was one of the few people who thought all four of the woman were worthy of sitting amongst one another. There sat, Phylicia Rashad, Viola Davis, Alfre Woodard and then there was Gabrielle Union.

The twitter community had a lot to say about the beautiful Gabrielle Union gracing the television screen with the three other women who are known to be prominent icons. Being the youngest woman of the four, I thought it was great to hear Gabrielle’s point of view on certain subjects. People tweeted about how Phylicia Rashad and Viola Davis made faces whenever Ms. Union was speaking causing awkwardness and tension during the Oprah special.

Okay, who really cares? Maybe Gabby hasn’t won a Tony Award or hasn’t been in a Broadway play, but does that make her unworthy? She had the courage to sit in front of a camera in front of millions of viewers and pour her heart out about touchy subjects. The fact that she grew out of her mean girl ways and grew stronger as a woman after being sexually assaulted is a blessing. Just like Gabrielle Union, Phylicia, Viola and Alfre were once young women who were still learning. Maya Angelou said it best, “Aint I A Woman?” The fact of the matter is, all four of these woman are strong, black actresses who dealt with the same exact let downs throughout life because of their skin complexion and the fact that they are black women in Hollywood.

When it comes down to bravery, Gabrielle Union wins my vote. She beat the odds that once defined her as a stuck up black woman who brought down every other woman in order to lift herself up. She made it through rape, the Hollywood criticism and divorce. Each woman that sat on that couch had a different story to tell.

When the black community takes it upon themselves to bash Gabrielle Union for sitting among such known outstanding black actresses, we are just prolonging the cycle of hatred towards ourselves. Looking at a strong woman like Gabrielle Union, we should be proud; proud of being woman and even more proud of being capable of conquering anything. No Tony Award or Award Winning movie makes her worthy; she did that on her own. So next time we decide to judge another woman, at least listen to her story first.


Jordan Hamilton is a Maryland native and soon to be New York City resident. She graduated from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore with a Bachelors Degree in English. She enjoys spending her freedom reading up on the blogs and online shopping.  

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