During a recent appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Heather Thomson issued a public apology about white privilege and what she wants to work on and expresses her gratitude to Real Housewives of New York City newbie Eboni K. Williams.
“I was really humbled and inspired by her willingness to expend her time and energy and hold me accountable but also hold me close during periods of false lessons and growth,” Thomson said of Williams, according to UPI.
“In trying to do good, I also caused harm,” she said. “My role that weekend and the micro-aggressive remarks that I made must open our eyes to the reality of privilege and the undeniable role that it has in either upholding or disarming white supremacy and anti-Blackness.”
Thomson said she is taking time “to read and listen” and asked people “to hold space for each other.”
“This work is not easy. It's taken 400 years to get here. But I will not be flawless in my pursuit of equity, I won't. However, it makes room for me to sit in it, to read and listen to the many Black and Brown people who have offered us so many incredibly effective tools to fight against oppression in ourselves and in our society,” Thomson said.
“We just have to hold space for each other, that's what I ask,” she added. “I'm going to take this time personally to read more, continue to listen and continue to be vulnerable, because it is how we learn and it's also how we can teach.”
If you recall, following Williams' fight with Luann de Lesseps, Thomson positioned an ally to Willaims, attempting to help her to navigate her debut season as the show’s first-ever black cast member.
According to Page Six, Heather believed her experience working for fashion brands founded by black celebrities, including Diddy and Beyonce, would allow her to act as a “bridge” between Williams and her castmates.
But the plan blew up after Williams said during an appearance on WWHL that Thomson’s intervention in a tense but productive discussion she had with Luann de Lesseps about race did “more harm than good.”
Williams accused Thomson of “whitesplaining” and attempting to be an unwanted “translator” for her.
On the show, Williams also said Thomson was guilty of a “micro-aggression” for patronizingly calling her “articulate.”
Following Williams' comments, Thomson slammed Eboni after she “agreed” with an Internet commenter who called Williams a “race baiter.”
In an Instagram comment, Thomson claimed that Williams’s feelings on the matter were not genuine, but an attempt to “change the narrative” to deflect attention from an ugly battle between Thomson’s and Williams’s pal and castmate, Leah McSweeney.
“It’s low and sad to see,” Thomson wrote, “I would have thought negative campaigning would be below Eboni buts she’s shown us that it is not.”
When a supporter of Thomson’s commented, “Eboni needs to go. She doesn’t fit and she’s a race baiter,” Thomson replied, “I have to agree with you. Hers is not a class I want to take.”
However, Page Six revealed that the remark sparked a “conversation” between Williams and Thomson.
A source told the publication that the comment, “was an error.”
“It was immediately taken down and Eboni and Heather have spoken about it personally,” the source added.
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