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Ellen DeGeneres vows to stop being "dancing lady" in order to "educate" following criticism

Photo credit: ellentube
Photo credit: ellentube

From Digital Spy

Ellen DeGeneres has vowed to stop being the "dancing lady" in order to "educate" herself and her audience about Black people's lives.

In a video shared from her home on Thursday (June 4), the Ellen DeGeneres Show presenter said she intends to do more to raise awareness, following the death of George Floyd and global protests against racism and police brutality.

"I stand with the protestors who are exercising their rights and I want to be an ally fighting for change," she began the video.

"As a white person, I don't always know what to say. I think right now white people have to just sit in our discomfort and we have to admit there's a lot we don't know about Black people's lives and about a Black person's experience. There is horrible injustice towards Black people that has been ignored for far too long."

Photo credit: ellentube
Photo credit: ellentube

Related: Friends star David Schwimmer reunites with ex-wife to share message of support for Black Lives Matter protest

She continued: "I like to think that I'm doing my best, but I think it's time that we have to look at ourselves and we have to say we have not done enough.

"I want to learn how to be a better person, how to do better. I was the dancing lady for a little while and now I want to help educate my audience. I want to educate myself."

This comes after the presenter was criticised for her initial remarks regarding the Black Lives Matter movement, as some found her message of support to be insufficient.

"For things to change, things must change," she wrote in a now-deleted tweet. She later posted a video on Instagram, speaking of her devastation and anger over recent events, and that she didn't immediately comment because she didn't know what to say.


For more information on how you can support Black Lives Matter, please visit its official website or donate here. Readers can also donate to the UK anti-discrimination group Stand Up To Racism, and the Unite Families & Friends Campaign, which supports those affected by deaths in police, prison and psychiatric custody.


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