ESPN anchor Sage Steele claims her black colleagues purposefully excluded her from the race special, “The Undefeated Presents Time for Change: We Won’t be Defeated,” because her voice isn’t “authentic” enough for the black community.
Sage fired off a complaint to ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro accusing Elle Duncan and Michael Eaves of leaving her in the cold with a thin sweater. She felt it was reflective of the divisive work environment at ESPN.
In a statement to the Wall Street Journal, Sage Steele said:
I found it sad for all of us that any human being should be allowed to define someone’s ‘Blackness.’ Growing up biracial in America with a Black father and a white mother, I have felt the inequities that many, if not all Black and biracial people have felt—being called a monkey, the ‘n’ word, having ape sounds made as I walked by—words and actions that all of us know sting forever. Most importantly, trying to define who is and isn’t Black enough goes against everything we are fighting for in this country, and only creates more of a divide.
Elle and Michael released a joint statement saying they wish the special was longer than one hour to “include more of the many strong voices we have at ESPN.” Oop.
Sage is currently trending on Twitter as folks strolled down memory lane to remind her why she may not have been included in the special on race.
Peep the tweets:
Welp.
