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Rachel Lindsay will ‘dissociate’ herself from ‘Bachelor’ if changes aren’t made

Rachel Lindsay has called on the execs behind “The Bachelor” to address what she believe is systemic racism, saying she would “dissociate” herself from Bachelor Nation if changes aren’t made. The former “Bachelorette” — the franchise’s only black lead in its history — wrote in a candid blog post that in the past she hasn’t …

Rachel Lindsay has called on the execs behind “The Bachelor” to address what she believe is systemic racism, saying she would “dissociate” herself from Bachelor Nation if changes aren’t made.

The former “Bachelorette” — the franchise’s only black lead in its history — wrote in a candid blog post that in the past she hasn’t “been loud enough on the deep-rooted, 18-year systemic problems in this franchise.”

“This is the reason that I have come to the conclusion that if changes are not made on the inside and outside of the franchise, I will dissociate myself from it,” said the 35-year-old.

She said the program must cast “leads that are truly interested in dating outside of their race,” and “stop making excuses for the lack of diversity and take action to rectify the problem.”

Additionally, Lindsay proposed the franchise diversifies “the producers on the show to make your contestants of color feel more comfortable,” and to “stop creating problematic story lines for people of color.”

“Lastly, and maybe the most important action item, the franchise should make a statement acknowledging their systemic racism,” Lindsay said. “The system is not designed for people of color.”

Reps for ABC and Warner Bros. did not immediately return our request for comment.

Lindsay first appeared on Nick Viall’s season of “The Bachelor” in 2017. She was asked to be “The Bachelorette” that same year, later getting engaged to now-husband Bryan Abasolo, who is a white Latino of Colombia decent.

“I ultimately decided to be the ‘Bachelorette’ because I knew this opportunity was bigger than me. I knew that I wanted to present myself to an audience that had not seen a lead of color in this role,” Lindsay said, explaining how she “wanted to be a trailblazer in this franchise.”

“Well, I am sad to say that after almost four years in this franchise, we still don’t have the diversity that this show needs, and that our audience deserves,” she continued.

Lindsay added that while “more diverse contestants do appear on the show now,” she posed whether or not the lead is “truly interested and open to dating outside of their race?”

“I think that is evident by how far their ‘journey’ takes them during each season,” Lindsay said. “It is a naive expectation to believe that leads will authentically start an interracial relationship for the first time on national television. The sad reality is that people of color become placeholders as the token person of color to add some flavor to the second half of the season.”

Lindsay said she has long held the ABC franchise accountable, dismissing the notion she is only speaking out now amid the Black Lives Matter protests taking place across the country in the wake of George Floyd’s death.

“I have always been vocal about the problematic behavior of the franchise and their failure to address their diversity issues; but I stayed with the franchise to be a voice on the inside to push for change,” she said, illustrating in 2018 how she “called out the franchise for creating an emotionally charged finale that baited me for three hours and labeled me as an angry black female.”

Last year at the 15-year “Bachelorette” reunion, Lindsay ssaid “it was sad for [her] to be the sole representation for women of color,” while also questioning the franchise’s decision to select Peter Weber as “The Bachelor” over Mike Johnson, a fan-favorite on Hannah Brown’s “Bachelorette” season who is black.

“When you have a contestant like Mike Johnson, who seems to check all the boxes, how is he not the Bachelor?” Lindsay told “Entertainment Tonight” at the time.

Lindsay also said in 2019 how she was “not hopeful” about another black “Bachelorette” being named, despite “Bachelor” alum Tayshia Adams finishing third on Colton Underwood’s season, noting how “usually the system picks one of the top four, why not this time?” She said this year, “My biggest complaint is that the show does not reflect what the real world looks like.”

Lindsay recently showed support for a fan-generated petition calling for the franchise to cast a black lead for Season 25 of “The Bachelor.” As of Wednesday, over 70,000 people have signed the petition.

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