Photo Courtesy of ABC
Story by Tayhlor Stephenson / Contributing Writer
It’s official: ABC will add color to its long-running show “The Bachelorette” with the debut of its first-ever black bachelorette.
Rachel Lindsay, a lawyer from Dallas, was chosen to break the show’s pale barrier. Some consider this a victory, but others wonder why it took the show 33 seasons to welcome its first black lead.
Season 21 is not yet over though, and Lindsay is actually still on the show. She currently stands as one of four final contestants for the final rose, but information was leaked that Lindsay would become the next bachelorette. The ground-breaking news was confirmed Monday night by host Chris Harrison and Jimmy Kimmel on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”
Before being named the next bachelorette, Lindsay has taken the title for several other “firsts” in the show’s history in its twenty-first season. On the very first episode, Lindsey received the coveted first impression rose. She was the first black contestant to do so.
Throughout the show’s 21 seasons, black men and women have made appearances on the show, but their time has always been cut short. In fact, no black contestant on either The Bachelor or The Bachelorette has made it past the fifth week of the show. Lindsay made it to the hometown dates portion, which air next Monday. By doing so, she accomplished another small victory for the show’s diversity — and what better time to announce the show’s first black lead than during Black History Month?
The question remains why it took so long to welcome the first black bachelorette, but here’s hoping this is the beginning of a new era for both The Bachelor and The Bachelorette.
Lindsay’s season of “The Bachelorette” will premiere May 22 on ABC.
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