BEING A BIG STAR DOESN'T MEAN YOU ARE EXEMPT FROM
RACISM, SAYS QUEEN LATIFAH ON "60 MINUTES" SUNDAY
She's a star of music, movies and television, but that doesn't shield her from the same racism that hurts other African Americans, says Queen Latifah. The queen of hip hop speaks candidly to Bob Simon in an interview to be broadcast on 60 MINUTES Sunday, Oct. 10 (7:00-8:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.
Vying for a taxi is one place the racism comes out, says Latifah. "Every time I try to flag down a cab and it goes past me and picks up that white lady instead of me, that's racism," she tells Simon. "I hate it."
Taxi drivers who see only the color of her skin aren't the only ones who slight her; employees in stores can be worse, even stereotyping her as a potential shoplifter. "I'm nobody until you see that credit card�with that name on it," complains Latifah, "Or until the person next to you says, 'Do you know who that is? It's Queen Latifah.' Oh, now I'm somebody. Now, you going to stop following me around this damn store?"
Latifah now produces movies through her own company and is using the power that comes with stardom to combat racism. She insists that African Americans are hired to work on the sets of the movies she makes, filling the types of jobs she says wouldn't ordinarily be given to blacks. But she says she's not guilty of reverse racism. "I don't just hire African Americans, I just make sure everybody has a chance," she tells Simon.
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