Comedian and actress, Amanda Seales, has insinuated that the love she gives to her community is not returned particularly with black Hollywood.
The Insecure actress recently talked about how she felt underappreciated in the black community.
On Sunday, she expressed her feelings in the context of the BET and NAACP Image Awards on her Instagram page.
The comedian thanked her fans and followers for bringing her success to her attention. She however deviated from her usual post and questioned why her success hasn’t led to more inclusion in black spaces.
Amanda stated that she frequently did not get invited to cookouts, despite her contributions to the industry
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“I just want to say something; if it weren’t for y’all, I would really think that I ain’t doing sh*t because the industry I’m in does not recognize me. To be clear, the black spaces in the industry are what I’m talking about. I don’t really care about any of these other spaces, as you all know, but I’m talking about the black spaces.”
She revealed that her wish to “shift” out of the industry is motivated by the exclusionary treatment she has experienced. She then enumerated a few black-led and owned events to which she had received little to no invitations.
“I never get invited to Hollywood’s Essence Women events. Despite having received an Image Award nomination, I have never received an invitation to the NAACP Image Awards. I never received a Black Girls Rock honor. I actually hosted the 2020 BET Awards at my house, and I haven’t been invited to the BET Awards since.”
She continued by appreciating the support of her 2.2 million followers stating that the reason she was valued is because the industry and game had never “let [her] know.”
Her initial post went viral on social media, receiving more than 68,000 likes and some 5,000 comments.
A few noteworthy replies came from Essense, which she mentioned as one of the companies that had failed to win her over.
“We hear you, and we love you,” stated Essence’s account. We’ll be more adept at being there for you and demonstrating to you that our love is genuine. I’m glad to be offline, so we can figure out how to help you.”
Like Amanda Seale, well-known activist Tamika Mallory also voiced her opinions. “Even though I’ve been honored at both Black Girls Rock and the BET Awards, and I have been invited to both, I feel you. I completely understand what you’re saying,” she wrote.
