2. Leigh-Anne Pinnock
In a heartfelt IGTV video, Leigh-Anne Pinnock shared her experience as the only black member of the British girl group Little Mix. She opened up about always feeling the need to work harder than her white and non-black groupmates, feeling like the least favorite amongst fans and being perceived as aggressive, too loud or unapproachable. After posting such a vulnerable video, Normani Kordei chimed in with support, commenting, “I am YOU and you are ME. I see you sis!” Normani was also the only black member of the American girl group Fifth Harmony and experienced the same racism as Leigh-Anne, even from another member of the group. Leigh-Anne responded to Normani’s comment with: “This is why I’ve always felt a connection to you. Always here for you sis.”
In the video, Leigh-Anne says, “I learned that the dream of being in the biggest girl band in the world came with its flaws and consequences. Consequences such as knowing about the existent underlying racism in the creative industries.” By the end of the five-minute video, Leigh-Anne’s call to action is clear: The music industry needs to take ownership of its mistakes and fix them in order to protect, uplift and empower black artists. In the caption she writes, “I’m doing it (sharing this video) because enough is enough and hopefully from sharing this we can all do more to understand the racism that takes place.”
