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Earlier this year, we shared the concerns from actress Angelica Ross who took issue with the fact that no Black trans women were involved in the annual “Black Girls Rock” award show. With the visibility of Black trans women increasing, thanks to digital advocacy and the show “Pose,” there is no reason to explain the absence.
While BET didn’t come out and say anything, one way or the other, about the criticism, you would think that they would want to be inclusive to all members of the Black community, particularly those who are the most marginalized.
So when MJ Rodriguez performed during the opening number of the Soul Train Awards with Tisha Campbell and Tichina Arnold, we assumed this was the network’s way of making things right.
But that might not have been the case. Campbell was guest hosting on “The Real” earlier today and she shared that there was a bit of a fight to get Rodriguez in the number.
“I think what was really important—like last year, the first time we did it, our freshman year, we really wanted to include all generations. But this time it was like just be inclusive. So we really fought hard and got MJ Rodriguez to be a part of it.”
She didn’t specify how or who she had to fight. But with the exception of scheduling conflicts, this should have been a no brainer. Regardless of people trying to stop her shine, I’m happy that MJ was able to come out and kill it the way she did. In fact, we could have seen a bit more of her in the opening. She did her thang. In case you missed it, check it out in the video below.
