Candice Patton hailed a 'queen' by fans as old video of her advocating for black women on TV shows goes viral
While Candice Patton garnered a strong fanbase for her role as Iris West-Allen on 'The Flash', she has also put up with a great deal of hatred and negativity from trolls. The actress has received undue harassment for playing a character who was portrayed as white in the comics. During a Popsugar event two years ago, she opened up about how she had to overcome the hatred and resentment. Recently, the video of that event resurged on Twitter amid the Black Lives Matter moment that was sparked by George Floyd's death. Apart from this, Patton has been vocal about advocating for black women in shows and films beyond the CW too. Her numerous Instagram stories and posts are a testament to her fight for the BLM moment and fans are full of praise for her.
Advocating for black women in CW shows and beyond, in the video, Patton can be heard saying, "Comic book fans are very opinionated [and] very vocal," she explains. "So it was very scary stepping into that role when I started the show." She said that one of the producers actually warned her to not go online after she was cast due to all the negative comments. While it wasn't easy dealing with the harassment at first, it did get better eventually. "Over time, people have embraced me and embraced this character, and I know it's really important," she said. "What's great is that in years to come, people will remember Iris West as being African American."
She also says in the video, "If I had to deal with harassment online so a girl that looks like me 10 years from now can successfully be on these shows without any of that, then well worth it. I can take it." Expressing support to Patton's stance, a fan wrote, "Candice Patton's a whole queen out here fighting the good fight. You love to see it." Others lashed out at CW after the network released a statement saying that they do not tolerate racist or misogynist comments. "Candice patton has been harassed for the past six years and now y’all say this," a fan tweeted.
"Yes, we got your back Candice Patton & we always will. All these vicious bees/haters who think they can come to sting you left & right believe me we'll trapped them every times & make honey out of them & used them as sweetener. Thank you for never given up & you're love," a fan wrote, while another expressed, "Candice Patton is the best. She has become such a mentor and role model to so many."