Taraji P. Henson Continues To Encourage Black Creatives To Tell Their ‘Truth’ Following Mixed Reactions For Speaking On Behind-The-Scene Issues Surrounding ‘The Color Purple’ & Pay Inequity In Hollywood

March 5, 2024 by Twila-Amoure McDaniel in Film with 0 Comments

Taraji P. Henson Continues To Encourage Black Creatives To Tell Their ‘Truth’ Following Mixed Reactions For Speaking On Behind-The-Scene Issues Surrounding ‘The Color Purple’ & Pay Inequity In Hollywood

Taraji P. Henson is on a mission for Black creatives to be properly compensated and respected.

Over the weekend the “Empire” star gave a heartfelt speech while on stage accepting the Excellence in the Arts Award at the 2024 American Black Film Festival (ABFF) Honors. After pointing to a tattoo on her left bicep that reportedly spells out “The Truth,” she expressed,

“If you are alive and God blessed you with another day to live, it is your job to tell your truth. Because by you telling your truth, you set yourself free and somebody else free. When we stay quiet, nothing changes. The squeaky wheel gets fixed.”

She continued,

“I am so grateful to have been in this industry for as long as I have because things have changed. This is what I dreamed of … a world where three or four or five Black women could be nominated for any award or be celebrated at the same time, because we coexist in this world together.”

Taraji P. Henson

Taraji P. Henson’s remarks come after she set the industry on fire last year amid the press tour for the film musical adaptation of “The Color Purple.” As previously reported, during that time she was very candid and upfront about issues on set such as how producers wanted the main cast to drive themselves to set each day in rental cars, which is uncommon for most major picture productions. Taraji P. Henson shared how she fought against the demand in a previous interview because it was a “dangerous” “insurance liability.” She added,

“It’s stuff like that, stuff I shouldn’t have to fight for. I was on the set of Empire fighting for trailers that wasn’t infested with bugs.”

Amid the press tour, Taraji also brought attention to pay inequity in Hollywood. Despite the entertainer seemingly having good intentions, some slammed her, claiming “The Color Purple” press run wasn’t the time to address her concerns. Thankfully, however, it doesn’t seem that Taraji is allowing naysayers to rain on her parade. She concluded her ABFF speech with,

“[Your joy is] what’s going to give you the ammo to continue to fight. If you need a soldier by your side, I’m here. Keep telling your truth, because that’s all we have.”