Last week, actress/comedian Leslie Jones was verbally attacked on Twitter by Milo Yiannopoulos, a high-profile editor for the conservative news outlet Breitbart. Twitter responded by banning the editor but that unfortunately did nothing to stop the plethora of racist tweets that followed.

Why Am I Not Surprised?

Leslie Jones unfortunately is not the only black woman that has received racist comments despite her outstanding work ethic. Just one year ago Michelle Obama was called an ape by Univision’s television host, Rodner Figueroa. Alone from being the wife of the 44th president, Mrs. Obama is a writer, lawyer, and strong advocate for healthy families and higher education. Despite those accolades, Michelle Obama is still receiving judgement because of the color of her skin. If the First Lady Of America can be publicly ridiculed because of her skin color then why would it be any different for Ms. Jones?

Leslie Jones is a recurring actress and writer on Saturday Night Live. She made her debut as a feature cast member on October 25, 2014. Recently the actress/comedian landed a roles in Ghostbusters and Mastermind. Her role on Ghostbusters is what inspired the recent attacks, as if the movie did not receive enough criticism because of its all female cast. With this being said, it is beginning to seem as though the level of success that a black woman attains is constantly besmirched because of her skin color.

Ms. Jones recently stated that she will be taking a break from Twitter, her reasoning is undoubtedly understood. Let’s hope that what was meant to discourage her only inspired her to go further in her endeavors. Personally I look forward to seeing her on the big screen and in future standup comedy shows since she is a role model of mine.