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Normani Calls Camila Cabello's Resurfaced Racist Tumblr Posts "Devastating"

Photo credit: Mark Sagliocco - Getty Images
Photo credit: Mark Sagliocco - Getty Images

From Seventeen

Normani is getting real about former Fifth Harmony co-member Camila Cabello's resurfaced racist posts that have cause a lot of controversy over the past couple of months.

In an new interview with Rolling Stone, Normani revealed how she felt over Camila's comments, which were posted back on her Tumblr back in 2012. The posts included her using the n-word and racist language. Twitter user @motivatefenty posted several of the old posts on Twitter before Camila deleted her account.

When asked about the resurfaced posts in her initial interview with Rolling Stone, Normani admitted that she wanted to think about it, but later sent a statement about them in an email to writer Brittany Spanos.

"I want to be very clear about what I’m going to say on this uncomfortable subject and figured it would be best to write out my thoughts to avoid being misconstrued, as I have been in the past," she wrote to Spanos in an email. "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."

"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," she continued. "Direct and subliminal hatred has been geared towards me for many years solely because of the color of my skin. It would be dishonest if I said that this particular scenario didn’t hurt me."

Normani also talked about how she was upset over how long it took Camila to respond to the posts.

"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," Normani wrote. "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."

She continued by saying that she hopes Camila grew from those posts and that others don't feel discouraged by what they said.

"I don’t want to say that this situation leaves me hopeless because I believe that everyone deserves the opportunity for personal growth. I really hope that an important lesson was learned in this. 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," she wrote. "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."

Camila previously apologized for the posts back in December 2019 writing on Twitter and Instagram.

"When I was younger, I used language that I’m deeply ashamed of and will regret forever," she wrote on Twitter. "I was uneducated and ignorant and once I became aware of the history and the weight and the true meaning behind this horrible and hurtful language, I was deeply embarrassed I ever used it. I apologized then and I apologize again now."

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