Gabrielle Union opens up about 'heartbreaking and terrifying' racist encounter from 2019
"I've never experienced that level of hatred..."
Gabrielle Union is ready to speak about a "terrifying" racist incident she says she experienced that left her and her group of friends "numb."
In an interview with People, the 48-year-old actress said the encounter happened in 2019, when she and some friends visited a "Game of Thrones" filming location in Dubrovnik, Croatia.
Union claimed that when she and her friends went to grab drinks at what they thought was a gay bar, they instead were accosted by what she described as "Neo-Nazi" patrons. Moreover, the bar allegedly displayed Jim Crow memorabilia, which she said left her and her group of friends shaken.
Even after they left, a group of "menacing" patrons pursued them down the street, Union claimed.
"I've never experienced that level of hatred and the threat of physical violence," she told People. "It was such a jolt. And the fear and adrenaline of what happened left us all numb."
Calling the encounter "heartbreaking and terrifying," Union admitted to the outlet that this incident is just one of many acts of racism she has had to endure.
"To go through every instance is to take you through every day of my life ... there are microaggressions and there are all out assaults. That's what it is to be a person of color in this country," she said.
"We think we're post racial but we're not. And that is beyond disappointing," she continued. "I don't think people understand the violence that comes with racism, whether it's if you're being chased or you're having to watch someone wear blackface to collect a paycheck. It's violent."
She added that "real radical impactful change" happens when people stand against it.
"There are a lot of people who turn a blind eye to racism. But silence is complicity," she said.
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