News anchor’s Africa pendant drew criticism from viewer. She had a one word response
A Louisiana news anchor kept things short and sweet in her response to a viewer who criticized her for wearing a pendant in the shape of Africa last week.
Charisse Gibson, who anchors the evening newscast at WWL-TV in New Orleans, took to Twitter on Thursday, Feb. 3, to share a screenshot of an email she received from a viewer who suggested her necklace bearing an Africa pendant was un-American.
“If you persist in wearing a medallion of Africa please know that I will change channels,” the viewer wrote. “You are an American first and should be proud of that.”
“Nah,” Gibson captioned her tweet in response to the criticism, drawing praise from both fans and fellow journalists.
The New Orleans native, who once worked as a producer at WLOX on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, said she wears the pendant regularly and believes it hit a nerve with the viewer because it’s symbolic of the slave trade, according to Nola.com.
“I’m African-American,” Gibson told the news outlet. “It’s what I’m rooted in, and where I came from helped build this country.”
Over the weekend, she thanked viewers for their kind words and encouragement.
Forward-facing Black journalists receiving unfriendly, often racist critiques about their appearance isn’t new. In 2020, reporter Amanda DeVoe of WKRG in Mobile, Alabama received a “disgusting” email from a viewer who implored the station to “not let the black girl lead the Morning news!” McClatchy News reported.
The viewer proceeded to call DeVoe “illiterate” before adding: “We do not need/want to see Her Kind Every morning we start our day here in South Alabama.”
Veteran journalist Maggie Wade received a similar message from a viewer who deemed her hair, weight and wardrobe “offensive.” And current BNC reporter Sharon Reed made headlines in 2017 when she responded on air to a viewer who called her the n-word, according to the Washington Post.
As for Gibson, she said she had no intention of going head-to-head with the viewer who suggested that she choose between her nationality and her African heritage.
“I’m not arguing this,” she said, according to Nola.com. “I’d never deny my culture.”
This story was originally published February 7, 2022 at 12:44 PM with the headline "News anchor’s Africa pendant drew criticism from viewer. She had a one word response."