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‘The Breakfast Club’ Disrespected Black Women. Again.
Survivor Sil Lai Abrams speaks out on Russell Simmons’ presence on the show
When The Breakfast Club announced that Russell Simmons would be appearing on the show, one of his most vocal accusers of sexual assault, Sil Lai Abrams, swiftly took to the internet to address the bias since neither she nor Drew Dixon nor Sherri Hines had been invited to tell their sides of the story. Just a few weeks since the release of On the Record, a documentary about Russell Simmons’ alleged attacks on the aforementioned women and their decades-long fear of coming out with their stories, there has not been ample engagement in Black media about these women’s tremendous courage.
Sil Lai Abrams spoke with ZORA this afternoon on the immediate aftermath of The Breakfast Club’s neglect, what this means for survivors, and how she intends to fight back.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
ZORA: How are you feeling after finding out that Russell Simmons was going to appear on The Breakfast Club?
Sil Abrams: So, last night, April Reign and Fred T. Joseph held a tweet chat about On the Record. It was a watch party. I was in the process of reading the comments and the feedback from people who were tweeting about one of the most painful…
