On Friday, February 28, in a new interview with Rolling Stone, Normani addressed her former Fifth Harmony bandmate Camila Cabello‘s past racist posts from her now-deactivated Tumblr.
“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 said. “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 color of my skin.”
The 23-year-old continued, “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 offensive 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.”
As fans know, in December 2019, racist comments from Camila’s since-deleted Tumblr page resurfaced. She repeatedly used the N-word and reblogged controversial memes. She also seemingly made light of domestic violence by posting an image that poked fun at Chris Brown‘s abuse of his ex-girlfriend Rihanna.
After this went public, Camila shared a public apology on her Twitter and said she was “deeply ashamed” of her comments and added that she was “uneducated and ignorant” about how her “hurtful language” might have affected others.
“I’ve grown and learned and am conscious and aware of the history and the pain it carries in a way I wasn’t before,” Camila said at the time.
Now, her former bandmate has addressed the situation months later and revealed that she believes that “everyone deserves the opportunity for personal growth.”
“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,” Normani said. “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.”
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