When Gabrielle Union and some friends were traveling to Croatia in 2019 to work, they were expecting a little pop culture tourism next door.
“We wanted to recreate Cersei ‘s footsteps Game of Thrones, “Union, 48, tells PEOPLE visiting the popular attraction in Dubrovnik, Croatia.
What happened was a terrifying encounter that still shakes her to this day.
When Union, which recounts the incident in its new memoirs, Do you have something stronger?, available now, and his small group walked into what they thought was a gay bar for a drink, looked around, and realized they were surrounded by memories of Jim Crow and “neo-Nazi” patrons who they immediately intimidated Union and his friends.
“I have never experienced this level of hatred and the threat of physical violence,” recalls Union, who says a threatening group followed them down the street as they left. “It was a shock. And the fear and adrenaline of what happened left us all asleep.”
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To learn more about Union and its new memoirs, pick up this week’s issue of GENT, in the stands Friday.
But the “heartbreaking and terrifying” encounter in Croatia is not unique to Union.
“Going through all the cases is taking you every day of my life,” he says. “There are micro-aggressions and there are all aggressions. That’s what it’s like to be a person of color in this country.”
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The Union continues: “We think we’re post-racial but we’re not. And that’s more than disappointing. I don’t think people understand the violence that racism entails, whether it’s being persecuted or being persecuted to see someone’s face. black to earn a salary. It’s violent. “
In fact, Union says Hollywood in particular still has a long way to go when it comes to ubiquitous and disturbing racial inequalities and offenses, including the fact that just last year many popular TV shows eliminated episodes where the black screen was used.
“Who cares about the black face,” Union asks. “What about the damage it causes and the racism it’s rooted in is funny? You laugh at me, my characteristics, and the stereotypes of people who look like me. Why is it okay?”
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Union also writes in his memoirs that he cannot count the number of times he has been one of the only black people on the set and that he often faces constant wage inequalities in minority communities.
“We’re still talking about the first Black this, the first Latina this and the first Asian this,” Union says. “That’s not progress. Why do we still have news? It should be something that shames us all.”
The Union continues: “They throw the list of the ten highest paid actors and you see a couple of people there. But show me the 100 highest paid actors. How is that? There are a lot of people who turn a blind eye to racism. But the silence is complicity. When you see something, whether sexist or homophobic or transphobic, say something. This should be a call to arms to have a real radical and shocking change. “