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Actress Eva Longoria apologized for remarks she made during an interview with MSNBC. Longoria is a proud democrat and opened up the 2020 Democratic national convention. She was celebrating President-elect Joe Biden’s victory with MSNBC Sunday but was met with criticism after viewers accused her of trying to discredit Black women by comparing them to Latina’s. Black women and activists like Stacey Abrams, have been credited for organizing and registering hundreds of thousands of voters to rally behind Democratic candidates, especially in swing states. Longoria has since offered a heart felt apology and explanation.
Longoria was speaking to MSNBC’s Ari Melber about how important women of color were in the 2020 elections outcome and told the host, “The women of color showed up in big ways. Of course, you saw in Georgia what Black women have done but Latina women were the real heroines here, beating men in turnout in every state and voting Biden-Harris at an average rate of close to 3 to 1. And that wasn’t surprising to us.” Longoria was quickly met with backlash.
Longoria offered an apology and clarification Sunday night and shared a statement that said, “I’m so sorry and sad to hear that my comments on MSNBC could be perceived as taking credit from Black women. When I said that Latinas were heroines in this election, I simply meant that they turned out in greater numbers and voted more progressively than LATINO MEN. My wording was not clear and I deeply regret that.”
Longoria continued and recognized the history of anti-blackness in the Latinx community. “There is such a history in our community of anti-Blackness in our community and I would never want to contribute to that, so let me be very clear: Black women have long been the backbone of the Democratic Party, something we have seen played out in this election as well as previous ones. Finally, Black women don’t have to do it alone any longer. Latinas (many who identify as Afro-Latina), indigenous women, AAPI women, and other women of color are standing with them so we can grow our collective voice and power. Together, we are unstoppable! Nothing but love and support for black women everywhere! You deserve a standing ovation!!!!”
Longoria posted the same statement on her Instagram and added in the caption that she realized how her words could have misconstrued, “Watching this back I can see that this sounds like I’m comparing Latinas to Black women, which I would never do.” Longoria continued, “I was comparing Latinas to their male counterparts, but my wording was not clear and I deeply regret that…” Longoria ended her caption with another apology, “Again, so sorry for the confusion and lack of context on my part!”
Actress Kerry Washington defended Longoria and shared her apology on her Twitter. Washington wrote, “I know Eva like a sister. We have been in many trenches together. She is a fighter for all women. Read below. This is what she meant. This is how she truly feels.”
While many weren’t ready to accept Longoria’s apology, others were thankful for her sincere apology and were willing to forgive her slip of the tongue. One person tweeted, “How many times in your life have you said something out loud and when you said it, you realized that everyone around you misunderstood what you were trying to say?! This is when communication, conversation n respect for each other’s differences come in to play.”