NAACP Deletes Post Warning About ‘Trying A Black Woman’ After Social Media Backlash
Kelly Rowland attends the “Marcello Mio” Red Carpet at the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 21, 2024, in Cannes, France. | Source: Stephane Cardinale – Corbis / Getty
The nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization deleted a social media post after backlash from users who claimed it perpetuated negative stereotypes about Black women.
The NAACP‘s post on X, formerly Twitter, went live on Wednesday and was an apparent attempt at creating a meme inspired by singer Kelly Rowland’s now-infamous clash with an usher on the red carpet at the annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes in southern France earlier this week.
Who gon check me boo! Kelly was sick of security pushing her and stepping on the train of her dress. Was she right or naw? #kellyrolland #cannes2024 #cannesfilmfestival pic.twitter.com/l5rZCng8KQ
— I don’t create the news! I report it! (@iamvellb) May 22, 2024
Variety explained what happened:
A video shows one usher twice beckoning towards Rowland, apparently indicating for her to start walking up the stairs at the Palais des Festivals. As the Destiny’s Child star ascends the stairs, a trio of other ushers, all clad in black, materialize around her, forming a barrier on one side that forces her to the right of the staircase. At one point, as Rowland turns to wave at somebody in the crowd behind her, two more ushers appear behind the singer with their hands out to block her view and drive her up the stairs.
One of the ushers, a woman in a black suit, continues to hold her arm out very close to Rowland’s back, at which the singer touches the usher’s outstretched arm with a smile, as if to tell her it’s not necessary, and begins purposefully walking up the stairs. But the usher continues to hold her arm aloft with her fingers spread out very close to Rowland’s back, at which point Rowland turns again to the usher and appears to admonish her. As Rowland walks off the stairs and into the Palais, the usher pulls the same move on a woman who appears to be with Rowland.
Amid photos of Rowland pointing her finger at the usher while appearing to speak forcefully going viral, it was in that context that the NAACP posted the picture on X accompanied by a single sentence that doubled as an apparent warning: “The next time you think about trying a Black woman… don’t.”
Source: X screenshot
While the sentiment holds true in many regards – Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett recently validated that line of thinking after she calmly clapped back at “racist” statements from Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene – it was seemingly the use of Rowland’s apparent anger in the photo that sparked immediate pushback to the post.
The comments quickly began pouring in, with many of them appearing to try to undermine the presumptive sincerity behind the post with racist responses.
“Thank you for perpetuating every possible unsavory stereotype about black women,” one response said.
“‘Black women are inherently violent’ isn’t the winning message you think it is…,” another wrote.
One asked disingenuously: “Black women are violent and uncivilized? Is that your message?”
Thousands of other responses echoed these types of sentiments before the NAACP decided to delete the post that was generating a fountain of negativity.
Ironically, a post on X from the NAACP last week advising its more than 600,000 followers to “Stop playing with Black women” in reference to the aforementioned Congresswoman Crockett clapback only sparked a fraction of the response that the post from Wednesday did. Perhaps the social media trolls responding to Wednesday’s post didn’t catch wind of it.
Stop playing with Black women. Period. https://t.co/PNtjyjaBXe
— NAACP (@NAACP) May 18, 2024
To be sure, the NAACP remains actively involved in issues that aim to better the lives of Black Americans, including recently releasing its Black Policy Agenda: State of The Union Edition, which outlines policies that they would like President Joe Biden to uphold this year and in 2024, if re-elected.
And, of course, Kelly Rowland is a national treasure who should be protected at all times.
SEE ALSO:
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Beyond Florida: Other States Where NAACP Should Consider Issuing Travel Advisories For Black Folks
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