Mo’Nique is a comedy legend and a Black woman who refuses to conform to the Hollywood system. Whether it’s harassment, mistreatment, or pay disputes, Mo’Nique reveals it all. But she is far from the first Black woman to reveal her truth.
The legendary 1940s jazz piano star Hazel Scott was blacklisted shortly after getting her own TV show, “The Hazel Scott Show.” Scott was named on the Red Channels, a publication that identified suspected communists in entertainment. Scott wanted to defend herself, volunteering to speak before the House Un-American Activities Committee. Despite her innocence, she lost her livelihood and moved to Paris for a quieter life.
On January 18, 1968, famed singer and actress Eartha Kitt publicly denounced the Vietnam War at a White House luncheon hosted by the First Lady. Her bravery swiftly resulted in a C.I.A. investigation, and her career in the US was derailed.
Fannie Lou Hamer’s August 22, 1964 speech to the Democratic National Convention put her on the political map. There, she told her story of trying to register to vote in Mississippi. President Lyndon B. Johnson held a press conference hoping to overshadow Hamer, but her testimony powerfully amplified Black voter struggles.
These Black women stood on business regardless of the consequences because they knew standing up for Black women was crucial for our liberation. They remind us our stories and experiences are powerful tools for truth.