by

Tracy Renee Jones

For those of you who judge human’s based on character and not skin color, I applaud you. I also need you to realize that there are many people left in society who are petty, cruel and jealous over the lives established by people who have nothing to do with them. The most recent example of this can be found in the recent situation faced by actor Omari Hardwick and his wife, Jennifer Pfautch, a white woman. As social media celebrated the premier of his most recent project, Power, others took the time to throw low blows at the woman he has been married to since 2012.

Were Black women included in the hate parade…? Of course they were. It’s entirely too simplistic to think they weren’t. I’d even ask why would any male throw shade at a man’s wife? Why would some random chick care that he’s married to Jennifer? But you can decide for yourself where the hate came from.

His response to the online backlash included thanking those who came to his defense and wishing harm AND healing for those who felt comfortable bullying his wife from behind a computer screen. 

Crazy that celebrity isn’t even a prerequisite for gaining online haters. Teens, males, and females of the everyday persuasion can become victims of online hate simply because some worthless nut bag of a wasted opportunity to use birth control thinks its entertaining to bother people just because they can.

Black women may turn a blind eye to this type of bullying because ‘it doesn’t affect them’ which I can understand but for the paradox presented in the fact that it will take the effort of men and women of all shades and colors to SHAME these online bullies into keeping their hate and ignorance to themselves.

Yes, Black women aren’t in abundance of those coming to their defense but can’t we change that by defending abuse where ever we see it?

Civilized behavior should not be a fringe benefit of being a man’s wife, because not all of us are married and you see where I’m going with that. I believe we’re capable of better behavior than the days of feudal ‘wife as chattel…don’t hurt my proper-tee’ laws and apparently even that doesn’t cut it nowadays. It’s great that he came to her defense but I’m bummed that the situation occurred that caused him to have to.

I wish him well with his new show.

And if you see a bully, confront a bully.

Be the change that you desire.