Celebrity1 min(s) read
Megan Thee Stallion pens powerful open letter addressing Tory Lanez shooting
Megan Thee Stallion has published a powerful new op-ed, which champions black women, and also addresses the purported Tory Lanez shooting incident.
Megan, whose real name is Megan Pete, accused the rapper of shooting her twice in the foot in an incident that occurred on 12 July this year. Lanez has denied the claims, but is currently facing up to 22 years in prison for the shooting.
Now, the WAP singer has published a piece for The New York Times, entitled Why I Speak Up For Black Women, which began by observing how black women have become a "highly courted voting bloc" who are "expected once again to deliver victory for Democratic candidates" in November's US election, which sees Donald Trump go up against former Vice President, Joe Biden.
"Despite this and despite the way so many have embraced messages about racial justice this year, Black women are still constantly disrespected and disregarded in so many areas of life," she continued, before touching on the subject of her shooting, without directly naming Lanez.
[[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/CF-k4KgFFZD/]]
"I was recently the victim of an act of violence by a man. After a party, I was shot twice as I walked away from him. We were not in a relationship. Truthfully, I was shocked that I ended up in that place," she wrote.
Lanez was charged with "assaulting a female friend in the Hollywood Hills" by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office last week. He has since responded to the charge by saying that the "truth will come to the light".
"My initial silence about what happened was out of fear for myself and my friends. Even as a victim, I have been met with skepticism and judgment. The way people have publicly questioned and debated whether I played a role in my own violent assault proves that my fears about discussing what happened were, unfortunately, warranted," Megan continued in the op-ed.
"After a lot of self-reflection on that incident, I’ve realized that violence against women is not always connected to being in a relationship. Instead, it happens because too many men treat all women as objects, which helps them to justify inflicting abuse against us when we choose to exercise our own free will.
"The issue is even more intense for Black women, who struggle against stereotypes and are seen as angry or threatening when we try to stand up for ourselves and our sisters. There’s not much room for passionate advocacy if you are a Black woman."
[[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/CGEIRFqFtBH/]]
Megan also toughed on the backlash she faced for her appearance on Saturday Night Live, where she "used the stage… to harshly rebuke Kentucky’s attorney general, Daniel Cameron, for his appalling conduct in denying Breonna Taylor and her family justice."
"Walking the path paved by such legends as Shirley Chisholm, Loretta Lynch, U.S. Representative Maxine Waters and the first Black woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate, Carol Moseley Braun, my hope is that Kamala Harris’s candidacy for vice president will usher in an era where Black women in 2020 are no longer “making history” for achieving things that should have been accomplished decades ago," Megan concluded.
"But that will take time, and Black women are not naïve. We know that after the last ballot is cast and the vote is tallied, we are likely to go back to fighting for ourselves. Because at least for now, that’s all we have."