Stephanie McMahon on the Importance of Speaking Out About Racial Inequality, What WWE is Doing To Address the Issue

Stephanie McMahon appeared on The Female Quotient and discussed the issue of racial inequality, the importance of speaking out and what WWE is trying to do to help. McMahon appeared along with Female Quotient CEO Shelley Zalis, WNBA star Rushia Brown and sports broadcaster Anne Marie Anderson and talked about the issue as people in the the US continue to demonstrate and speak out in the wake of George Floyd’s death. You can see some highlights from McMahon’s comments below:

On the importance of speaking out: “I do think sometimes there is fear in speaking out. And it’s not that there’s not fear. It’s not that we’re not afraid, but there’s so much fear, we all need to speak. And yes, sometimes we might mispeak, we might misstep, we might not all say exactly the right thing. But it’s important to have a voice. And Dr. King’s words ring so true to me: ‘In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.’

“And I had the honor of being part of a fellowship, and it was actually — we were an experiment, which I didn’t know. We were the most diverse grouping of people that they had ever put together. And one of the readings that we read is ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail.’ And in it, Dr. King talks about, you know, being a moderate. Being a white moderate in particular, but being a moderate. And that means not using your voice. And what this quote means and what’s funny is, internally I had some feedback because I actually posted this. And there was some strong reaction right away like, ‘No, we’re not supposed to be silent right now. You don’t want to post that.’ And I’m like, ‘Guys, re-read the quote. It’s not about being silent, it’s about not being silent.’ It’s about the worst thing that your enemy can say, what’s worse than that is your best friend not saying anything. Not doing anything.”

On what WWE is doing to address the issue: “Well you know, it’s not enough to just put out a statement and say you’re going to do something. So we’ve actually been doing any number of things across multiple sectors. So from employees, we’re looking at different types of training and resources and platforms to really encourage our employees to speak, and to let them know that they are heard. And of course, any action items that come out of that. We’re also looking to partner with a few different organizations to really make sure that we’re able to amplify and use out platforms in the best way possible — education, I think to me at this moment, being primary. So we’re, you know, I’m not ready to make some kind of formal announcement yet, but we’re getting further down the pike in something I think will be very meaningful hopefully for our entire community. For the WWE community and larger than that. Because it is not enough to just say ‘Oh yeah, I take a stand.’ You have to prove it. And that’s something that I believe in wholeheartedly.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit The Female Quotient with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.