Eva Longoria apologizes for calling Latina women ‘the real heroines’ of the election and says she’s ‘sad to hear it could be perceived as taking credit from black women’
Eva Longoria is apologizing for erasing the accomplishments of Black women after saying that Latina women ‘were the real heroines’ of getting the vote out for President elect Joe Biden.
The actress/activist, 45, used her Instagram to clarify her comments on Sunday night, telling followers she was ‘so sorry and sad to hear’ that what she said could ‘be perceived as taking credit from Black women.’
Eva’s comments came during an appearance on MSNBC, where she talked about how ‘women of color showed up in big ways’ for Joe Biden.
Misunderstood: Eva Longoria has clarified her comments and apologized after being accused of dismissing the impact of Black female voters when she called Latinas ‘the real heroines’ of the election
‘Of course, you saw in Georgia what Black women have done but Latina women were the real heroines here, beating men in turnout in every state and voting for Biden-Harris at an average rate of 3:1,’ she told Ari Melber.
Critics pointed out how Eva’s statements seemed to dismiss the work of Black female voters, who were significant voting bloc in Biden’s victory. She was also accused of erasing the impact of Afro-Latinas.
Eva, a staunch Democratic supporter who hosted nigh one of the Democratic National Convention this past year, apologized for her clumsy wording, writing: ‘I’m so sorry and sad to hear that my comments on MSNBC could be perceived as taking credit from Black women.
‘When I said that Latinas were heroines in this election, I simply meant that they turned out in greater numbers and voted more progressively than LATINO MEN,’ she explained.
Not what she meant: Eva’s comments came during an appearance on MSNBC, where she talked about how ‘women of color showed up in big ways’ for Joe Biden
Statement in question: ‘Of course, you saw in Georgia what Black women have done but Latina women were the real heroines here, beating men in turnout in every state and voting for Biden-Harris at an average rate of 3:1,’ she told Ari Melber
Different comparison: ‘When I said that Latinas were heroines in this election, I simply meant that they turned out in greater numbers and voted more progressively than LATINO MEN,’ she explained
Eva continued: ‘My wording was not clear and I deeply regret that. There is such a history in our community of anti-Blackness in our community and I would never want to contribute to that, so let me be very clear: Black women have long been the backbone of the Democratic Party, something we have seen played out in this election as well as previous ones.
‘Finally, Black women don’t have to do it alone any longer. Latinas (many who identify as Afro-Latina), indigenous women, AAPI women and other women of color are standing with them so we can grow our collective voice and power.’
Longoria got support from fellow Hollywood change-maker Kerry Washington, who retweeted the message with: ‘I know Eva like a sister. We have been in many trenches together. She is a fighter for all women. Read below. This is what she meant. This is how she truly feels.’
Has her back: Longoria got support from fellow Hollywood change-maker Kerry Washington, who retweeted the message
A new era: Eva celebrated President Elect Joe Biden’s victory over the weekend, sharing several joyous social media posts. She’s seen campaigning in September above
Eva celebrated President Elect Joe Biden’s victory over the weekend, sharing several joyous social media posts.
She tweeted: ‘I’m in tears! Democracy won! The will of the people won! Thank YOU to all the voters. To The counters. To The organizers. To the volunteers. Let the work to unite the country begin! We can do this America!’
Later on Longoria, a mother-of-one, wrote: ‘Our children were watching us as a country. To see what we would decide. Division and Hate or Unity and LOVE. We chose correctly. LOVE will always trump hate! Unity, let’s start healing as Americans! Flag of United States.’