May mahalagang mensaheng nais ipaabot si Miss Universe Canada 2020 Nova Stevens sa Filipino pageant fans.
Kaugnay ito ng isyu ng panlalait ng ilang Pilipino dahil sa kulay ng kanyang balat.
Si Nova, 26, ay isang black woman. Bagamat representative ng Canada, siya ay may South Sudan ancestry.
Siya ang unang Canadian black woman na ipadadala sa Miss Universe pageant.
Itinanggi ni Nova na mga Pilipino lang ang kanyang pinupuntirya sa ginawa niyang Instagram post noong May 4, 2021.
Mababasa kasi sa post ang screenshots ng Tagalog comments ng netizens na nilapatan ng English translations.
Tinawag nilang “nognog,” “engkanto,” “tostadong tostado” si Nova patukoy sa kulay ng kanyang balat.
Sa kanyang caption, pinuna ni Nova ang ilang pageant fans mula sa ibang lahi dahil sa diskriminasyon ng mga ito sa black women.
Walang tinukoy na Pilipino si Nova sa caption.
Sinundan ito ni Nova ng isa pang post na naglalaman ng messages of support mula sa ilang Filipino fans.
Sa caption, iginiit ni Nova na hindi niya sini-single out ang mga Pinoy sa previous post niya tungkol sa bashers.
Sa kanyang online interview kagabi, May 6, muling nagsalita si Nova at nagbigay ng mensahe sa Filipino pageant fans.
Si Nova ay in-interview ng kanyang trainer at coach na si Natalie Glebova, ang Canadian beauty queen na nanalong Miss Universe noong 2005.
NOVA’S MESSAGE TO FILIPINO FANS
Ibinigay ni Nova ang kanyang dahilan kung bakit ang larawang naglalaman ng Tagalog comments ang ipinost niya noong Mayo 4.
“The reason why I posted that photo, specifically, was not because I was going out and targetting the Filipino fans.
“[It’s] because that was the one that was constantly being sent to me,” paliwanag ng Miss Universe Canada.
Hindi naman daw siya nagpakapagod para hanapin lang ang mga komento ng mga Pilipino.
“Had it been any other country, I would have done the same thing.
“So it just so happens that, unfortunately, it was from the Filipinos. It’s not because I deliberately went out of my way to look for their comments.”
Dugtong ni Nova, “I don’t speak the language. How would I know who was the one writing those things to me?”
Wala raw siyang galit sa mga Pilipino at naniniwala siyang hindi lahat ng mga Pinoy ay racist.
“And I wanna say to Filipinos I don’t think you’re all racists. I have no hate towards you, whatsoever.
“This is all, like, a teaching for all of us, we could all learn from this experience.”
MISS UNIVERSE CANADA 2020 ON CYBERBULLYING
Pahayag pa ni Nova, hindi na bago sa kanya ang makatanggap ng maraming batikos o diskriminasyon sa social media.
Pero naniniwala siyang marahil ay may pinagdadaanan ang mga taong ito kaya idinadaan nila sa paghila sa ibang tao pababa.
Ani Nova, “I understand hurt people, hurt people. In order for you to project hate, you too are hurting.
“So, when I receive these messages, it’s not because I want to target a specific group…
“It’s more of a learning experience.
“I think of children. When a child does something wrong, you have to constantly remind them of what they’re doing wrong so as they can correct their mistakes.
“Same thing with adults. If I’m in the wrong, I would want you to tell me I’m doing something wrong rather than allow me to live in my ignorance.”
Iginiit muli ni Nova na ang post niya laban sa kanyang bashers ay hindi lamang patama sa iisang lahi.
“When I made that post, it wasn’t to target Filipinos.
“It’s more of a general message to all fans in the world that spewing hate to us, not only to myself, but all the contestants.”
Mensahe ni Nova, ang pageantry ay hindi lamang tungkol sa pisikal na kagandahan.
“If we keep telling society that it’s all about being beautiful, I think that’s the downfall of pageantry.
“When you just remind people that that their only essence their only assests to the world is their physical attributes.
“It should be more than that. We should look at different types of beauties and appreciate them because we’re all just once race and that’s the human race.”
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