Sigh. Last night’s episode of The Bachelorette was a lot to deal with. We saw Rachel Lindsay start to cave into the pressure of being the first Black bachelorette – a moment that is both saddening and frustrating for viewers. Though Rachel, in theory, should be able to focus on getting to know the remaining contestants and ultimately find love, she also has to deal with the weight of being the first Black woman on the show.
“I get pressured from so many different ways, being in this position,” a tearful Rachel says in a confessional interview. “I didn’t want to get into all of this tonight. I already know what people are going to say about me and judge me for the decisions that I’m making. I’m going to be the one that has to deal with that, and nobody else, and that’s a lot.”
Unfortunately, Rachel’s predictions are starting to come true. Racial tensions have now come to a head between country singer Lee and another contestant named Kenny. Lee has already stirred the pot by calling several Black cast members “aggressive.” On top of that, several racist tweets were unearthed from his Twitter account, where Lee poked fun at the NAACP and Black Lives Matter. As if that weren’t enough, Rachel was recently bullied by former Bachelor contestant Leah Block, who compared Rachel’s Bachelorette season to Love & Hip Hop (as if that’s an insult…tuh!)
Though Rachel Lindsay’s casting as the first Black Bachelorette has ushered in a new crop of viewers who probably never watched the show (myself included), it’s also underscored that racism is alive and well. So before the foolishness goes any further, we’re stopping it dead in it’s tracks. These are five things Black viewers absolutely don’t want to see go down on this season of The Bachelorette.
Check out Tiffany Pollard, aka the first black bachelorette, having a ki-ki with Bob The Drag Queen.