Listen Live
St Jude banner
CLOSE
The 21st BET Awards - Arrivals

Source: Penske Media / Getty

Megan Thee Stallion is receiving an outpour of support from several prominent activists and leaders in the Black community as detractors continue to question the validity of her 2020 shooting incident involving Tory Lanez.

In an open letter published on Nov. 10, The Southern Black Girls and Women’s Consortium showered the Houston MC with praise for standing tall in the face of adversity.

“You’ve had to endure public harassment and taunting not only from that person but from others choosing to stand with him,” the letter read, according to PEOPLE. “You’ve consistently been clear about what happened to you, but instead of being met with widespread support, people who should have had your back have chosen to stay out of the matter. It must be said that our culture has failed you.”

The Consortium’s letter, which was shared on Thursday, condemned Canadian Hip-Hop star Drake, who recently accused the 27-year-old Grammy winner of lying about her shooting on his new song “Circo Loco.”

“This b**** lie ’bout getting shots, but she still a stallion,” the “Hotline Bling” hitmaker raps in the controversial track.

Marc Lamont Hill, Tamika Mallory & several other leaders signed in support of the open letter

Congresswoman Maxine Waters, MeToo founder Tarana Burke, Planned Parenthood CEO Alexis McGill Johnson, Tamika Mallory, Angela Rye, and political commentator Marc Lamont Hill were some of the notable figures that signed the emotional letter to show support for the star and condemn violence against women.

“We raise our voices against those who have made light of this heinous example of violence against women and will drown them out with our demands for society to take what happens to Black women seriously. You are not alone. You are believed, loved, and supported,” the letter continued.

“You’ve been so strong, Megan, but that’s not what we should demand nor expect from you,” the letter reads. “You deserve the space to cry, mourn and heal as you see fit without having to worry about being judged for having a human reaction to a personal tragedy.”

After the track was released last week, Megan took to Twitter to slam Drake for using her shooting as an opportunity to gain “clout.”

“Since when tf is it cool to joke abt women getting shot!” she added.

Drake has faced an outpour of criticism from fans since the song’s release. While speaking to TMZ this week, Marc Lamont Hill said he wasn’t surprised Drake dissed the popular femcee. Hill believes that Hip-Hop has unfortunately condoned misogyny and violence against Black women for far too long.

Hill was one of the first people to tweet about the tune’s controversial lyrics, telling his followers that he stopped listening to the album after “the Megan Thee Stallion reference.”

“I won’t be finishing the album. And please don’t tell me it’s just wordplay… or that it went over my head. I’m very smart. I got it. Doesn’t make it less gross,” he wrote.

Tory Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Petersen, was charged on Oct. 8, 2020, with one felony count for allegedly shooting Megan after a party in the Hollywood Hills. Last month, the 30-year-old rapper was ordered to remain on house arrest until the start of his trial. Lanez and Megan will face off in court on Nov. 28. The rapper could face up to 24 years in prison if convicted.

 

Megan Thee Stallion has used her platform to speak out against violence

Megan’s emotional letter highlights a longstanding issue in the Black Community. Black women are disproportionality impacted by violence at a higher rate. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, more than 40% of Black women have experienced physical or sexual violence from a partner in their lifetime.

Black women also experience significantly higher rates of psychological abuse—including humiliation, insults, name-calling, and coercive control—than women do overall, the Institute For Women’s Policy Research noted. This often leads to dangerous implications for Black women. A 2015 Violence Police Center found that Black women were two and half times more likely to die from domestic violence or sexual assault.

Since her shooting incident, Megan has used her platform to speak against issues of domestic violence and mental health awareness.

In September, the Houston native launched a website called “Bad B*tches Have Bad Days Too”–which offers mental health support and domestic violence resources to fans in need.

In August, the Hip-Hop star’s Pete and Thomas Foundation partnered with the Southern Black Girls and Women’s Consortium “to launch their inaugural Joy is our Journey Dream Bus Tour –“a mini-festival-like experience” — that featured “free outdoor workshops and events surrounding various areas, including mental health, wellness, beauty, dream-building, and entrepreneurship,” ABC News noted.

SEE ALSO:

Teen Sex Trafficking Victim Could Face 20 Years In Prison After Escaping Probation Center

Lindsey Graham Still Thinks Electing Herschel Walker Will Make Children Of Color Want To Be Republicans

The post Open Letter To Megan Thee Stallion Draws Attention To Violence Against Black Women appeared first on NewsOne.

Open Letter To Megan Thee Stallion Draws Attention To Violence Against Black Women  was originally published on newsone.com