Normani has spoken out about dealing with racist hate on social media – only to find out that former Fifth Harmony member Camila Cabello had previously referred to her using the N-word.
“It would be dishonest if I said that this particular scenario didn’t hurt me. It was devastating that this came from a place that was supposed to be a safe haven and a sisterhood, because I knew that if the tables were turned I would defend each of them in a single heartbeat,” Normani told Rolling Stone, in an email.
“It took days for her to acknowledge what I was dealing with online and then years for her to take responsibility for the offensive tweets that recently resurfaced. Whether or not it was her intention, this made me feel like I was second to the relationship that she had with her fans.”
Last December, Cabello posted a statement on social media in which she acknowledged using “language that I’m deeply ashamed of and will regret forever.” The singer claimed she was “uneducated and ignorant” and “deeply embarrassed” to have used “horrible and hurtful language.”
Cabello added: “I was deeply embarrassed I ever used it. I apologized then and I apologize again now.”
Normani provided Rolling Stone with an email because she didn’t want her words to be misconstrued and said she struggled with her decision to share her thoughts “because I didn’t want it to be a part of my narrative.”
The singer seemed to have a message for Cabello. “I believe that everyone deserves the opportunity for personal growth. I really hope that an important lesson was learned in this," she wrote. “I hope there is genuine understanding about why this was absolutely unacceptable.”
Normani added: “I have spoken what is in my heart and pray this is transparent enough that I never have to speak on it again.”