As a traffic anchor and news reporter, Amanda DeVoe is no stranger to receiving emails from viewers. However, an email she received on Tuesday shocked and angered many.
“Please do not let the Black girl lead the morning news [broadcast]," the unidentified writer stated.
“We do not need [or] want to see her kind every morning [when] we start our day here in South Alabama.”
Other portions of the letter claimed DeVoe had a lisp and was uneducated. While many were taken aback by the letter, DeVoe addressed it directly on social media and on-air. First, she posted a photo of the letter to her Facebook page.
"From incorrectly stating that I have a lisp and uneducated, which are of course completely untrue, to saying they don’t want to see 'my kind' to start off their morning, to saying if they wanted to see me on TV they would move to the majority-black city of Prichard— the racism is appalling and disgusting," DeVoe captioned the post.
"Well, you’re going to keep seeing this melanin with the box braids every weekday morning from 5-7 a.m. and afternoon at 4 p.m. Be blessed."
DeVoe kept her word and appeared on the news the next day. As the WKRG reporter continued to do her job on-air, her social media post was gaining steam off-air. Her initial post gained 1,500 reactions, 350 comments and nearly 1,000 shares. Fellow WKRG reporters like Jessica Taloney and Gabby Easterwood also added messages of support.
“I’m truly blessed to have people of all colors and creeds stand with me!” DeVoe said.
“I do this for the ancestors. I love y’all!”
Photo Credit: Getty Images