Normani Talks Camila Cabello's Racist Posts in Rolling Stone
Normani Addresses Camila Cabello's Past Racist Comments: "It Was Devastating"
Image Source: Getty / Jean Baptiste Lacroix / Monica Schipper
Normani is speaking out for the first time about her former Fifth Harmony groupmate Camila Cabello's old racist Tumblr posts and tweets. The 23-year-old singer personally sent a statement to Rolling Stone on Friday, telling the publication that she wanted to "be very clear about what I'm going to say on this uncomfortable subject and figured it would be best to write out my thoughts to avoid being misconstrued, as I have been in the past."
"I struggled with talking about this because I didn't want it to be a part of my narrative, but I am a black woman, who is a part of an entire generation that has a similar story."
Normani began by saying that Camila's comments were hurtful because of how close they used to be and her own experience with racism. "I struggled with talking about this because I didn't want it to be a part of my narrative, but I am a black woman, who is a part of an entire generation that has a similar story," she began. "I face senseless attacks daily, as does the rest of my community. This represents a day in the life for us. I have been tolerating discrimination far before I could even comprehend what exactly was happening. Direct and subliminal hatred has been geared towards me for many years solely because of the colour of my skin. It would be dishonest if I said that this particular scenario didn't hurt me. It was devastating that this came from a place that was supposed to be a safe haven and a sisterhood, because I knew that if the tables were turned I would defend each of them in a single heartbeat. It took days for her to acknowledge what I was dealing with online and then years for her to take responsibility for the offencive tweets that recently resurfaced. Whether or not it was her intention, this made me feel like I was second to the relationship that she had with her fans."
Camila's racist posts resurfaced this past December, including screenshots that showed her using the N-word and black stereotypes. The blog also showed how the language influenced a lot of the hatred Normani used to receive while she was in Fifth Harmony. The 22-year-old "Havana" singer later issued a public apology on social media, saying she was "sorry from the bottom of my heart" and that she has since "grown and learned" from her mistakes.
I'm sorry from the bottom of my heart. pic.twitter.com/iZrnUawUAb
— camila (@Camila_Cabello) December 18, 2019
In her email, Normani wrote that she really hopes "an important lesson was learned in this." "I don't want to say that this situation leaves me hopeless because I believe that everyone deserves the opportunity for personal growth," she continued. "I hope there is genuine understanding about why this was absolutely unacceptable. I have spoken what is in my heart and pray this is transparent enough that I never have to speak on it again. To my brown men and women, we are like no other. Our power lies within our culture. We are descendants of an endless line of strong and resilient kings and queens. We have been and will continue to win in all that we do simply because of who we are. We deserve to be celebrated, I deserve to be celebrated and I'm just getting started."
