On January 19, 2018, Mo’nique took to Instagram to ask for a boycott of Netflix. Her caption read: “#BOYCOTT #NETFLIX FOR #COLORBIAS AND #GENDERBIAS. PLEASE STAND WITH ME. I LOVE US.” Now, when I initially saw the video, I, like many others, said, “Girl, bye.” See, I was looking at what my eyes were seeing and responding to what I knew in my mind. Why should I boycott Netflix when they offered her half a million and I’m sitting at home juggling an 8 to 5 that’s barely paying me minimum wage? Do you know the things I could do with half a million?
In her one-minute video Mo’Nique explained her reasoning behind such a big ask, referring to the amount of money Amy Schumer ($13 mil) and Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle ($20 mil) had been offered compared to her. Again, I’m asking myself, what does this have to do with me? She has since talked openly about her fight but if I can be honest, I stopped listening.
Then a few days ago when Mo’Nique and her husband sat down for an interview on The Breakfast Club, I decided not to listen because again, I thought it was a frivolous ask. But I did listen, however, to “hear her side” and in the midst of listening, I realized something. Mo’Nique isn’t asking for a boycott because she does not have anything else to do, she’s asking because it is the right thing to do.
You’re probably asking why it is the right thing to do. Well, because if we keep accepting everything offered without ever pushing back for what we really want AND DESERVE, we will continue to find ourselves fighting for what we’re worth.
In a 2016 article in the Washington Post Danielle Paquette wrote, “The Census Bureau calculates that the median woman in the United States makes 79 cents for every buck paid to the median man. The gap widens by race, with black women earning 60 cents and Hispanic earning 55 cents to every white man’s dollar.”
Do you not see the problem? Do you not see that the wage gap is very real? Even though women make up more than 46.8% of the workforce (www.pewresearch.org), the wage gap is still real. Will boycotting Netflix do anything for me, down in the heart of the South? It’s a possibility but then again, who knows?
Look, I am not saying you should or shouldn’t boycott Netflix but don’t be so quick to hush Mo’Nique when she has a valid fight. Yes, Netflix offered her half a million but they also said she couldn’t work or even say a joke for two years. Yes, Netflix considers Mo’Nique a legend but they do not feel she is qualified to be paid as such nor were they willing to negotiate.
Maybe Mo’Nique’s fight doesn’t affect you. Maybe you’re one of the lucky ones to be paid what you are worth. Maybe the wage gap hasn’t halted your steps or left you speechless—YET. But in the words of my grandmother, “Keep living.” It may not be you but it could be your daughter, granddaughter, sister, niece, cousin, or friend.
For me, I too am Mo’Nique. Let me explain what I mean.
I am an African American female co-pastor who is paid significantly less than my male counterparts. It has nothing to do with the years I’ve been in ministry, how well I can preach, or my biblical education, because all they see is the body I was born in. Had I been pushed out of my mother’s womb with male genitalia, there would be no question about my worth but seeing that I wasn’t, I have to now fight for what I know I deserve.
It took me a minute to realize it but the fight has to go on. This is why I am excited about Mo’Nique taking a stand against the blatant inequality, even if it comes with heckling and name-calling from folk who look just like her. If we all stop fighting because somebody throws rocks, some even from our side, none of us would be where we are today.
To Mo’Nique I say: Take a stand, sister, because the wage gap is real.