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Chloe x Halle

The Rickey Smiley Morning Show

The news broke over the 4th of July holiday that singer #HalleBailey has recently been casted to play Ariel in the new #LittleMermaid remake. Fans were in an uproar when they learned that a black woman would be the voice for such a classic story. Most people praised the young woman and Bailey stated herself that the casting was a “dream come true” but a select group of fans on Twitter says the casting was a nightmare and started a hashtag #NotMyAriel for others to follow.

It’s so ironic that during Independence day, when racism is at an all time high, that #WhiteTwitter would start a Facebook group titled ‘Make Ariel White Again’ stating “Are you tired of people washing out the great traditions of white princesses for people of color? Do you feel that they should keep everything the way that it is”? Someone is mad! But singer/actress #Brandy paved the way for young African-American princesses in the Disney movie #Cinderella. There’s also a black princess named #Tiana that stars in the movie #PrincessAndTheFrog played by #AnikaNoniRose.

We’ll be keeping an eye out on how successful #WhiteTwitter’s campaign is. Congratulations to Halle Bailey for landing a role! We know she’ll do amazing.