Eva Longoria Clarifies Her Remarks About Black Women Voters

After days of uncertainty following the US election, former Vice President Joe Biden was officially elected as the 46th President of the United States. The win was cinched by a (blue) wave of votes from states like Nevada, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Georgia, where efforts led by Black women overwhelmingly led to Biden's victory. So why did Eva Longoria try to change the narrative?

During an appearance on MSNBC, the actress discussed the massive impact of voter registration and voter turnout in the 2020 election. Host Ari Melber asked Longoria about the impact that she felt Latinx voters had on the outcome. Rather than simply answering the question, Longoria brought Black women into it, and not in a good way.

"Women of colour showed up in big ways!” she told Melber during the interview. “Of course, you saw in Georgia what Black women have done, but Latina women were the real heroines here, beating men in turnout in every state and voting for Biden-Harris at an average rate of 3:1."

It didn’t take long before the internet caught wind of Longoria’s Gina Rodriguez-esque (if you know, you know) comments, and they made haste to her Twitter mentions and Instagram comments, pressing her to clarify what she meant. And rightfully so.

To be clear, Black women did a significant amount of the heavy lifting when it came down to many of the swing states that have been historically red for decades. We need look no further than Georgia to see an example of Black women once again saving the day. After Stacey Abrams lost her gubernatorial bid in 2018 (largely due to voter suppression in the area), she channeled her energy into collaborating with local activists to make sure that the tide would turn two years later. Partnering with a number of grassroots organisations in Georgia, Abrams and other Black women helped register more than 800,000 people to vote, a move that put Biden more than 10,000 votes ahead of Trump and ultimately helped win him the electoral college. She and Black women (including Afro-Latinas) across the country didn’t didn’t do alone, but we did it — and trying to downplay that is nothing short of misogynoir. 

After the wave of backlash, Longoria jumped online in an attempt to explain exactly what she was trying to say MSNBC. 

"I'm so sorry and sad to hear that my comments on MSNBC could be perceived as taking credit from Black women,” she tweeted. “When I said that Latinas were heroines in this election, I simply meant that they turned out in greater numbers and voted more progressively than LATINO MEN."

"My wording was not clear and I deeply regret that,” she continued. “There is such a history in our community of anti-Blackness in our community and I would never want to contribute to that, so let me be very clear: Black women have long been the backbone of the Democratic Party, something we have seen played out in this election as well as previous ones."

"Finally, Black women don't have to do it alone any longer. Latinas (many who identify as Afro-Latina), indigenous women, AAPI women and other women of colour are standing with them so we can grow our collective voice and power. Together, we are unstoppable! Nothing but love and support for Black women everywhere! You deserve a standing ovation!!!!"

Instead of highlighting contributions of Black women, Longoria made the decision to downplay the effort that Black women have always made to put first the wellbeing of a country that oppresses us. Her answer was a mistake and, according to her, a misstatement, but it was a bad look nonetheless. Moral of the story? If you're going to bring Black women into it, give credit where credit was due. Give Black women their flowers.

Refinery29 has reached out Longoria for comment.