Real Housewives of New York newbie Leah McSweeney is an outspoken and long-time supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement. She has supported the cause on her social media and has attended protests. The RHONY star also took part in the Bravo special “Race in America: A Movement Not a Moment.”
Right now, reality television is being swept by the cancel culture movement. Vanderpump Rules stars Kristen Doute, Stassi Schroeder, Brett Caprioni and Max Boyens recently won pink slips for past racist behavior.
Leah told Page Six that she is ready for some diversity, and changes, on RHONY. Leah said, “I hope that there’s not only diversity of race, but an even deeper diversity of where someone lives or what their interests are.” Isn’t it a requirement for RHONY that cast members be interested in alcohol-soaked dinner parties and cabaret?
“I hope that there’s just more diversity all across the board because New Yorkers are not a monolith, obviously,” the clothing designer said. “I think that it is gonna head in that direction.”
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Unfortunately, Leah wasn’t surprised about the information that was shared in the Bravo special. She remarked, “I have a lot of black friends, and I hear a lot of stories from them about racism and the s–t they have to deal with. But it never stops being shocking and appalling to hear someone’s personal stories, you know?”
Leah believes that white people can’t fully understand what the black community experiences. “I think it’s so hard for a lot of white people to understand and to even process it because it’s something we’re not used to dealing with. I walk into a store, people think that I’m gonna shop my ass off because I’m white,” Leah explained. “They’re not thinking that I’m going to steal something or that I can’t afford something. That’s what my black friends have to deal with.”
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The RHONY star said, “When we’re talking about race and racism — why do we even have the word ‘ally?’ This is an everyone problem,” Leah shared. “‘Ally’ shouldn’t even be a thing. Everyone should be against racism, no matter what freaking color you are, no matter where you’re from.”
“It’s truly a very evil idea, racism in general. So it should be, across the board, completely looked down upon and destroyed,” Leah added. You go, girl! I love her honesty.
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“In terms of being an ally. I think it’s just like, acknowledging racism exists. That’s the other thing — people who say, ‘I don’t see color.’ I’m like, stop. Come on. That’s insane to say,” Leah commented. “I understand that’s a white person wanting to sound like they’re saying the right thing — it’s actually not the right thing to say — but they have good intentions.”
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The New York Housewife feels that people can make mistakes and learn from them. “We also need to draw a line where someone says something and it’s clearly a mistake, right? Or [we need to ask ourselves], can they learn from it?” Leah said. “So we have to see things in a nuanced way as well … I think, as uncomfortable as the discussion can be, people need to be able to feel like they can discuss it.”
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[Photo Credit: Bravo]
