QUOTE OF THE DAY: How the Amber Heard Verdict Proves America Is Racist

Q

The Root writer Candace McDuffie attempted in a Wednesday essay to make white actress Amber Heard’s high-profile defamation trial about the un-“safety” of black women.

WHAT SHE SAID

McDuffie quoted from a statement Heard issued after she was ordered earlier Wednesday to pay her ex-husband, actor Johnny Depp, more than $10 million in damages for defaming him with #MeToo accusations.

  • Heard suggested she had once again been victimized by her powerful ex and added: “I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women. It is a setback. It sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated. It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously.”

“If the mistreatment of a wealthy blonde haired, blue-eyed white actress is ridiculed by the world, what does that mean for Black women?” asked McDuffie, before answering her own question.

  • “For Black women, who do not have whiteness or fame or money to protect them, Heard’s words of the verdict as a setback ring especially true. Whether you believe her or not, the way the world treated Heard was downright cruel and uncalled for.”
  • “If all of Heard’s privilege couldn’t protect her from such viciousness, Black women — like always — remain even more vulnerable,” McDuffie continued.
  • “What happened to Heard is another vile reminder to women—particularly Black women—that nothing can guarantee our safety.”
By We'll Do It Live