Ryan Destiny Encourages Young Black Women to Speak Up
The Grown-ish actress addressed a letter to young Black women wanting to work in Hollywood on June 4.
In her post, Destiny drew from her own experience, listing things that she wished she had known when starting her career. Her advice included educating herself on her rights, not brushing off microaggressions and not being afraid to stand up for herself. She also stressed the importance of speaking up when facing racism or discrimination, despite the fear of possible backlash.
“You just want damn respect. EQUAL respect,” she wrote. “You are allowed to feel how you feel when you KNOW something is wrong.”
Destiny concluded the letter by vowing to stand up for herself and others in the industry, and she encouraged fans to take action not just in social media but also in real life.
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To young black women in hollywood/the industry or who want to be. #unMUTEny
Her discussion on the importance of speaking up didn’t end there. On June 8, Destiny shared the hashtag #unMUTEny on Twitter. The movement, created by Glee actress Amber Riley, encourages young Black artists, actors, and musicians to tell their experiences in the industry and in life.
This is #unMUTEny (by @MsAmberPRiley) black people will no longer be silent about the mistreatment and racist environments created in spaces where we have to work. We all have our stories. Repost and use #unMUTEny to speak your truth. Don’t stay MUTE! We got eachother. pic.twitter.com/zWI4o59XRb
— RD (@RyanDestiny) June 8, 2020
Destiny’s message also reached people who aren’t in the entertainment industry, especially as she encouraged fans to exercise their most important way of speaking up: voting. She shared a graphic from Rock the Vote, a non-profit organization focused on engaging young people in politics, reminding people of the different June election dates of each state. She also posted reminders of election dates on her Instagram stories, urging her followers to vote.
VOTE TODAY. JUNE 2ND pic.twitter.com/ovWVBGuXFX
— RD (@RyanDestiny) June 2, 2020
You can also speak up for yourself, especially when it comes to elections. Check out websites like Rock the Vote to educate yourself on voting registration, election dates, and more. Make yourself be heard.
