Frenchie davis finally speaks out about "american idol" & racism

[glencro]

Former American Idol contestant Frenchie Davis who was kicked off the show several seasons ago after erotic photos of her were made public. She has since went on to appear in several broadway plays including "RENT". Well, she has finally spoken out about the situation and so much more. These are HER words from her facebook page:

Ok....now yall know....after all of these years, I have NEVER bad-mouthed Idol publicly. I have simply refused to do it. I was always very aware of what was happening but I never wanted my response to it to perpetuate any stereotypes. However, in light of all that has happened these past few months, I think it may be socially irresponsible for us to continue to tip-toe around issues of race and racial discrimination. Our children are no longer safe on the streets, as a result of that tip-toe...so now I am gonna say what it has taken me 12 YEARS to say out loud. American Idol WOULD NOT HAVE DISQUALIFIED ME IF I WERE WHITE. PERIOD. I don't care how many Black winners they've had. The number of Black contestants to be PUBLICLY disqualified BY FAR exceeds the number of Black winners they've had. Over the past 12 years.....20 percent of Idol's contestants have been Black, while 98 PERCENT of their publicly disqualified contestants have been Black. There is a double-standard and it is alive and well on that show and in society as a whole. When you are an Antonella, or a Nikki...or a Kim K, you can be a former stripper or have photos of you with a penis in your mouth floating around the internet and the producers of Idol see that as an opportunity to have you parade around in a bathing suit during the opening credits tossing a beach ball OR you can do a porno and have Mr. Seacrest produce a reality show for you. BUT. When you are a Black woman, you are shamed. You are publicly humiliated, and you continually asked, even at the age of 34, to try to explain and/or justify a decision you made when you were 19 years old. The media REFUSES TO PRINT THIS but I was up front and honest with the producers about my past and they waited for MONTHS to kick me off the show...then they LIED and made it seem like it was something they DISCOVERED, when they had known all along. White kids can make all the mistakes they want...they can do coke and become president. They can do porn and become role models for young girls. Trayvon smokes a little weed and is somehow "responsible for his own death" but a White kid from Glee dies with heroine in his system and it's a national tragedy....the double standard exists, my loves!...and we are not doing any favors by pretending that it doesn't. Having said that, I have four words for ya: I. HOPE. THEY. WIN.

[Kamasu_Jr]

Tell me something I didn't already know and say several times here on the forum. After Frenchie Davis was kicked off, Idol had a contestant who was a male stripper and another female contestant who had posed nude. She was in the final 20. Idol used to hold auditions in Memphis [[several Memphians made it to the finals), but when many of us saw the way black contestants were handled, we spoke to the show's producers but couldn't work things out. Idol has not held auditions here in years. According to the newswire, Ten former Idol contestants, all black and all males, are suing the show, claiming racism. The men want $25 MILLION each.