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Actress
Gabrielle Union was, like many Americans, enthralled and impassioned on
the night of Tuesday, November 4, when Barack Obama was announced as
the President-elect of the United States. “I was on my couch with
one of my best girlfriends and trainer, A.J. Johnson,” recalls
Union. “We just really felt like we had to be together, good, bad
or ugly!” Union and Johnson rejoiced when the numbers came in and
Obama had won; but her enthusiasm was bittersweet when she noticed the
voting returns from another important ballot in California. “We
started noticing the results coming in from Prop 8 in
California,” she says. “And it was really
disappointing.”
For those who
don’t know, Proposition 8 is a California State ballot
proposition that would amend the state Constitution to restrict the
definition of marriage to a union between a man and a woman. It would
overturn a recent California Supreme Court decision that had recognized
same-sex marriage in California as a fundamental right. “I was
really disappointed–especially when I heard [that] so many
minorities–especially black folks and Latinos–voted to, basically,
legislate discrimination.” Union feels that African Americans, in
particular, need to remember the history of institutionalized bigotry
in America. “As a people, we should know—more than
anybody—what happens when you legislate discrimination,”
she continues. “We’ve just gotten over interning the
Japanese [during WWII]; we’ve just been able to marry who we want
to.”
But for Gabrielle Union,
Obama’s win was just further inspiration and motivation to fight
for what she feels is right. “We still have work to do, so what
Barack inspired in me was to get off my tail if I don’t like
something or [when I] feel strongly about something!” she says
with a laugh. “And now that he’s safely in office, I will
be jumping over to the ‘No on 8’ rallies in
California.” –todd williams
