News reporter #CorallysOrtiz has received an outpouring of support after she publicly shared a voicemail from a viewer who criticized her natural curls by using a racial slur.
Ortiz is a TV meteorologist and reporter at #WBBJ7 in #Jackson, Tennessee. Ortiz, who is of Afro-Latina decent, says she decided that instead of rocking her usual straight-haired look, she decided to wear her natural curls on television, according to @thegrio.
“I’ve been giving my hair a bit of a break from this heat and humidity and not having to straighten it so often. This is only my second round wearing it the 10 months I’ve been in Tennessee,” she wrote in a Facebook post. While she received a lot of positive feedback from viewers, unfortunately one woman left a voicemail at the station for her, knocking her for her natural look.
“A viewer who goes by Donna felt that my hair wasn’t up to ‘her standards.’ The following video just reflects back to everything I just said about criticism and dealing with what is considered “cultural or racial ignorance.” Racism for short. It is very clear you can hear what she says and it’s something I don’t condone,” Ortiz wrote on Facebook.
The woman’s voicemail addressed Ortiz as “the weather girl tonight.” She asked Ortiz to not wear her hair like that anymore.
“It just doesn’t look good at all. Change it back to something more normal. Not something that’s all– ‘n**gery lookin,’” the woman said on the voicemail.
Ortiz, who was so appalled by the statement, replayed the recording and shared it on her Facebook page.
“I hope it serves as a lesson to people like Donna and to remind her that we are living in a new century, in nation filled with people of different backgrounds, cultures, ideals, colors, shapes and sizes,” Ortiz wrote in the post.
And after sharing that nasty voicemail, Ortiz received lots of support from fans and viewers.
#Roommates, what did you think of Ortiz’s response to the viewer? Let us know!
TSR STAFF: Christina C! @cdelafresh
