Before we cheer for progress, we must reckon with our past.Tina Turner was not just a legend—she was a Survivor.And yet, when she told the truth abo
Before we cheer for progress, we must reckon with our past.
Tina Turner was not just a legend—she was a Survivor.
And yet, when she told the truth about the abuse she endured, we mocked her. We made jokes. We parodied her pain in skits, comedy bits, and careless headlines. We didn’t make room for her healing—we stalked her instead.
She couldn’t even recover in the country of her birth.
Tina Turner had to leave the United States just to feel safe enough to rebuild her life.
That truth should stay with us. We must live with that. We must learn from that.
Because today, another generation of young Black women is standing up. Seeking protection. Telling their truth publicly. And once again, we see the same tactics: ridicule, gaslighting, dehumanization, and silence.
We must not fail them the way we failed her.
Here are some ways that we can do better…..
🗣️ 1. Speak up—publicly and privately.
Don’t let silence or neutrality speak louder than the abuse. Use your voice online, in conversations, and in your community.
📢 2. Challenge smear campaigns.
Call out coordinated disinformation, bot attacks, and smear tactics when you see them.
💻 3. Counter the comments.
Flood harmful threads with truth, support, and humanity. Replace cruelty with clarity.
🖼️ 4. Create or share content that uplifts.
Use reels, graphics, or blog posts to tell the truth. Make her humanity visible again.
🧠 5. Educate others about abuse and coercive control.
Many people still don’t understand the signs of abuse. Share resources that go deeper than headlines.
🔍 6. Fact-check before reacting.
Don’t be manipulated by clickbait or gossip blogs profiting off her pain.
💬 7. Interrupt “devil’s advocate” arguments.
Phrases like “Well we don’t know both sides…” are often used to derail and discredit. Don’t entertain it.
🛑 8. Refuse to dehumanize her.
She is not a spectacle, a meme, or a moment. She is a person in pain, navigating trauma publicly.
🕊️ 9. Say her name with reverence—not ridicule.
Correct mispronunciations, mocking nicknames, and disrespect.
🫂 10. Model what allyship looks like.
Show others that loyalty to truth and justice is more powerful than popularity.
💰 11. Support her work with your money.
Buy her music, books, or art. Stream her content. Help her build independence.
📰 12. Refuse to consume abusive media.
Don’t click on tabloids or videos mocking her. Don’t fund the spectacle.
🎙️ 13. Create survivor-centered spaces.
Use your platforms to host discussions, panels, or reflections that humanize survivors.
📚 14. Remember the patterns.
Tina Turner. Megan Thee Stallion. Keke Palmer. Hallie Bailey. Skai Jackson…. and too many others. This is not new. Recognize the generational cycle.
🌎 15. Teach your children the truth.
Let the next generation learn how to stand with women, not tear them down.
📣 16. Use your privilege.
If you’re in a safer demographic or environment, be the shield she needs. Your words may reach where hers cannot.
🔁 17. Amplify her truth.
Share her words. Let her testimony circulate far and wide—uncut and uncensored.
🤝 18. Join or support Survivor-led movements.
They often carry the emotional and financial load of fighting injustice. Show up for them.
🔐 19. Create safe circles offline.
Gather friends to discuss how you can take action locally. Safe spaces must be built—not assumed.
🌿 20. Stay the course.
Support doesn’t end with a hashtag. Stay present when the cameras move on. That’s real solidarity.
**Bonus- Call out other celebrities, politicians, etc. who try to use their platform to get others to side with power, fame, and money over justice and safety. We do not care how famous and powerful someone is, women and children deserve safety and protection for harm.
🕯️ Final Word:
Tina Turner once said, “I had to leave America because my success was so misunderstood… I was living a life of pain and being punished for surviving it.”
We must not repeat that cycle.
We can be the generation that believes women when it’s hard, that protects them when the crowd turns, and that refuses to let another Black woman flee her own country just to feel safe.
Support. Speak. Stand. Stay.
We can be better. Let’s prove it.
