Gina Rodriguez: To say that I’m anti-black is to say that I’m anti-family

This story was initially going to be about Gina Rodriguez’s appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. I was actually mildly positive towards her, because I think she’s a good actress and she’s trying. Then I saw her interview on Sway in the Morning. Gina cries and defends herself for being called out for her comments dismissing black women. The Root does a good job of recapping Gina’s comments and I’m relying on their coverage. Gina said last year that Latina women get paid less than women of color (1:00 into this interview), which is not true for the entertainment industry. She also tweeted that DC and Marvel weren’t doing well enough for Latinos (that’s below) and in an interview with Yara Shahidi, when Yara was told she was “goals for so many black women,” Gina interrupted and said “so many women” with the emphasis on women and repeated women like that. It’s at 2:00 into this interview.

On Sway in the morning Gina was asked about the backlash. Instead of saying she was sorry and needed to listen and learn, or even that she phrased it wrong and felt bad, Gina cried and kept saying she was misunderstood. She said that the press was using her as clickbait. Then she said that only the black community misunderstood her but that white people and Asian people didn’t! She also got into a convoluted argument claiming that she considers black people her community and everyone should understand her heart or something. She makes me tired.

Gina we’ve heard you speak out on behalf of equality. Have you been able to make sense of the backlash you got last year… and how black actresses tend to make more than asian actresses and asian actresses tend to make more than Latina actresses
What I was saying is that when we talk about equal pay we … all must rise [cries] The backlash was devastating to say the least cause the black community was the only community to look toward growing up. We didn’t have many Latino shows. The black community made me feel like I was seen. To get anti-black is saying that I’m anti family. My father is dark skinned he’s Afro-latino. My cousins are. Puerto Ricans are
African, Taino and Spaniard. It’s in my blood. That was really devastating to me. I know my heart. I know what I meant. I really wish that we weren’t living in a culture where we’re clickbait. I’ve never said anything controversial about anybody. The black community is my community. We have black Latinos…

The opportunities I create and who I put in those spaces are both the Latino and the black community. It was a dark time for me. It made me get away from social media.

I know my intention. The last thing I want to do is put two underrepresented groups against each other. When that happened it was really hard. What do you say? Sorry for cheating when you know you didn’t cheat? That sh-t was real difficult. I have to keep my head up and know my heart and know what I do, and know who I am.

“The white community and the Asian community didn’t get mad at me”
It’s sadly a fact that Latinas in all industries make less money. It’s a fact and that sucks. It’s interesting because the white community nor did the asian community get mad at me. I found that very interesting that the one community I felt like I related to the most were the most upset with me. That was just devastating. How do you talk to so many people and let them know ‘that is so far from my heart?’ If you go and see the interview, I was not comparing anyone. [Ed note: 1:00 into this video]

We should be… joining forces not fighting one another. I felt their pain and I will always apologize sincerely from the bottom of my heart if I caused pain on anyone because that is not who I am. But that felt really far left field for me. I just didn’t know how to control that. You can’t seriously watch that interview and thing that I’m putting us against each other. You just can’t…

People forgot that I advocate for all Latinos not just a reflection of myself. If I have hurt you I am sorry and I will always be sorry but until you know my heart… we can’t just live off clickbait guys.

She opens by saying “We didn’t have many Latino shows” so she had to look to the black community. This is mostly all about HER and how devastated she was. She doesn’t issue a full apology, she says she’s sorry if she caused pain and she actually said that only black people were misinterpreting her. She can definitely act and put emotion into it like she’s sorry, but read and watch what she actually said. She just showed her whole ass.

The interview is at 12 – 19 in the video below. There’s are also tweets with some excerpts if you’d like to just see it in small doses.