Hannah Brown is trying.
She really is.
The former Bachelorette, who shoved her foot way down into her mouth last month when she dropped the N-word on Instagram, is trying to put some action behind her words.
For those who may have forgotten:
Brown was singing along back on May 16 to DaBaby's "Rockstar" when she arrived at the aforementioned racial slur... hesitated for a moment... and then belted it out.
Hannah sort of denied at first. And then kind of apologized in the moment.
But after getting ripped by members of Bachelor Nation, along with social media users around the globe, the reality star issued a longer mea culpa on Instagram.
This apology also did not sit well with critics, however, prompting Brown to finally release an emotional video last week in which delved into more detail, looked followers in the eye and fully accepted responsibility for her mistake.
This past Friday, meanwhile, the latest Bachelorette held an Instagram Live session in which she she delved into how she’s working on being a better ally to people of color.
In doing so, Brown acknowledged a fan’s question about whether she has “had conversations” with her family since her scandal.
“I have and guess what? They’ve been uncomfortable,” the Dancing With the Stars champion explained.
Brown made her enormous snafu before George Floyd was killed and before protests broke out in all 50 states regarding police brutality and racial inequality.
"They are gonna be uncomfortable, especially if this is the first time, like me, that you’ve really opened your eyes and realized what’s going on around you," she continued about these talks with loved ones.
"And I think the biggest thing that I’ve realized that’s so important, is coming to those conversations with a humble heart.
"You can’t be defensive, you gotta listen and you gotta educate yourself. If you really care, it takes time."
It's worth noting two things here:
- Brown hails from Alabama, perhaps the most conservative state in the country when it comes to race relations.
- Most observers applauded Brown for her video apology, but have still been looking for more from her.
She does seem to understand this, recognize this and be up for this challenege.
"It’s not just, like, ‘Yes, I’m posting. Absolutely.’ But as much as I’m posting about these things that I’m sending y’all, I’m doing the work," Brown told fans on June 5.
"After this, … I can keep listening to my ‘1619’ podcast and [read] White Fragility. And I don’t just listen, y’all. I take notes. I have conversations, I call my friends after and we talk about it and it’s, let me tell you, it’s been emotional.
"And it should be.”
Brown emphadized that this period of civil unrest “should not be about shame and guilt,” but that it “should be a time of reflection and being motivated” to do better.
“We’re all a part of the conversation and we all can look into some of our internalized racist ideologies because it is systematically institutionalized in our country,” Brown added.
“It’s really hard to not be affected by that.
"So I just think dropping the defense and really just opening up your heart and having these conversations and knowing it’s gonna be emotional and uncomfortable, but just going at it from a humble place of wanting to grow and learn.
"It’s gonna be really impactful -- I know it has been for me.
"It doesn’t mean it’s been easy, but no impactful work is ever easy. This is hard work.”
It's difficult to ask much more of Brown right now on this topic, isn't it?
I don’t want to be ignorant anymore,” she previously explained. “I don’t want to be an ignorant white girl who uses the N-word. But I also don’t want to be someone who goes on their platform intoxicated and engages with their platform that way. … I have learned that there are things that I cannot say. …There is so much more historical context that I didn’t know that makes it so much more inappropriate.”