Rachel Lindsay Abasolo from The Bachelorette has many thoughts about interracial marriage in the public eye, and how the media views Black people. She knows that the worst of the industry can change, but only if people demand it. Previous contestants can agree that they've faced harassment due to race.

Rachel is an attorney, podcast host, and upcoming court show lead. She is best known for her season as a contestant on The Bachelor in the twenty-sixth season. Rachel then became the first black Bachelorette afterward. She eventually chose - and married - contestant Bryan Abasolo, after a two-year courtship. The Abasolos reiterate that the wedding was for them and not for the cameras...it was to make their bond special.

Related: The Bachelor: Madison & Hannah Ann Enjoy Date Night Without Peter

The Skimm on Instagram talked with Abasolo recently, and she has a lot of valuable insights. She says that the phrase, "I don't see color", used to sound profound twenty years ago, but considers it BS. Lindsay notes that saying you don't see color is akin to ignoring the problems that are going on all around you. She thinks that the media has to work to stop labeling black women as "angry" and black men as "aggressive". Having the first "Black Bachelor" Matt James is a step in the right direction. However, she also wants to ensure that the network will not typecast her or the upcoming suitor.

The former Bachelorette also notes that interracial relationships were once illegal, depending on the state, so people that flouted the law by getting married were in real danger of being arrested and prosecuted. Star Trek couldn't even portray a kiss between Uhura and Spock, though the sci-fi showrunners tried. In fact, miscegenation laws were only abolished in 1967 in the United States. That was just 53 years ago, and just in one country. Trevor Noah mentions that as the biracial son of a black woman and a white man, he technically shouldn't have existed in apartheid South Africa. There is a reason why Trevor Noah's memoir is called Born A Crime. 

In short, there is still a lot to fix. The best way to move forward is to stop saying "I don't see color" and actually listen, to better understand which changes need to be made. We should still mark the victories, such as Matt James being The Bachelor, but we can do so much better. If an attorney can spell it out for us, then we definitely need to pay attention. We appreciate the insights that The Bachelorette contestant has shared.

Next: The Bachelor With Seniors? ABC Still Wants A Spin-off With Older Cast

Source: TheSkimm