Gabrielle Union empowers audience at speaking event

Actress, activist, author and star of the upcoming television drama “L.A.’s Finest†Gabrielle Union-Wade was welcomed by a round of applause from a sold-out crowd at the Michael D. Rose Theatre at the University of Memphis on Wednesday night. 

Union spoke as a special guest for the “Black Migration†themed Black History Month, sponsored by the Student Activities Council.

She started by discussing the excerpts from her book, “We’re Going to Need More Wine.†In her book, she quotes former actress and star of the Star Wars series Carrie Fisher when she said, “Stay afraid, but do it anyway.†Union expressed to the crowd how she has dealt with the fear of judgment and failure throughout her acting career. Expressing how she received encouragement from former co-star of “Love and Basketball†Sanaa Lathan in which Lathan told her, “If it doesn’t scare you, it’s not worth it.â€

Union talked about how fear of failure can disable one’s hopes and desires, sharing how it has shown up in her life. She continued by challenging the crowd to combat ideas of fear and to branch out to find out what creates personal happiness and passion in one’s life lastingly quoting a song by award-winning gospel singer Fred Hammond, “Take it back, take back your life. Wrestle it back if you have to. Jesus be a fence.â€

Union discussed her struggles of juggling collegiate studies, work and managing financial responsibilities during college as a challenge. She also shared her personal challenges in dealing with creditors by relating creditors to the mafia, citing similarities to fictional mob-figure Tony Soprano. She emphasized balancing and creating allowances for one’s own budget with joy and grace. Also, she said people should not allow others or social media to dictate one’s actions.

“You have to think bigger than the immediate,†Union said.

A victim of rape at gunpoint, Union has not made a secret of her abuse. She has written about the scenario in her book. She talked about her advocacy with rape crisis centers and her personal healing process from her trauma with the crowd.

She addressed understanding the importance of recognizing crime victims and not being distracted by the small percentage of false claims. She continued to address the need to dismantle the disbelief and acceptance when dealing with victims. Union openly stated her experience with other victims.

“I remember being in group therapy in UCLA, and a number of people were quiet,†Union said. “They were like, ‘Your rape is real. No one is going to question you.’ What happened to me isn’t rape because not all rape happens at the end of a gun, a knife or a stranger. There were people in that room questioning if their father raping them for the vast majority of their life was legitimate.â€Â 

Union talked about challenging bigoted perspectives of society and reconditioning the attitudes toward victimization and predators, even referring to how people must question those people who continue to cheer for R. Kelly. She challenged the audience to be leaders.

“We have to set people free,†Union said. “We have to do the individual work to become better global citizens … I had to check myself over the last 30 years. And I’m a survivor, so there’s always room to change… Wear it like a badge of honor.â€Â 

The next topic question covered how Union has personally used her influential status to advocate for diversity and inclusion. In 2001, Union made an appearance on the sitcom “Friends.†Union, playing a woman who dates both Joey and Ross, became the first minority love interest on the show. She shared with the crowd that individuals must fight for all people’s inclusion, whether it be through social media or by being advocates for causes. She said black people must fight for all individuals in the African Diaspora. She continued by saying people must also fight for all the letters in the LGBTQ community.

“We have to gather up all our people if this is the work that we’re doing,†Union said. “Everyone counts, and there are some very uncomfortable conversations that need to take place … There is always more we can do.â€Â 

Union continued to discuss the topic of diversity and by mentioning the book “The Warmth of Other Suns†by Isabel Wilkerson, which she said was a transformative piece that shaped her perspective on family and art. She then spoke about how her childhood experience and her memories of visiting museums and libraries with her parents influenced her. She said her mother emphasized raising global citizens.

“My mother would say I want to raise girls with a world perspective, not a town perspective,†Union said.

She concluded the topic of diversity by inviting people to hold individuals and institutions responsible for the extent of diversity.

“This is a lifelong a challenge,†Union said. “People are likely to say challenge instead of problem. It’s a fucking problem. We shot past challenge centuries ago.â€Â 

After the conclusion of the lecture, Union started a Q&A session. The crowd’s questions ranged from topics on fashion, parenthood, environmental safety, gentrification and raising her newly born daughter Kaavia with husband Dwyane Wade, an NBA All Star.