Racism is real and it becomes even more real when celebrities are victims (only because it gets a louder voice). Here are a few celebrities that have been victims of racism.

1. Oprah 

While shopping in Switzerland, a shop assistant refused to show her a £24,477 handbag saying it would be “too expensive” for her. Did the shop assistant not see it was one of the wealthiest women in the world asking to see the bag?

2. Rihanna

Rihanna took to Twitter to respond to a racist slur that appeared about her in the Dutch fashion magazine, “Jackie.” The magazine did not only print inaccurate information about her, but called her racist names in the print story.

3. Kim Kardashian

In an episode of “Keeping Up With The Kardashians,” Kim Kardashian and her mother Kris Jenner describe how they were victims of racism on a flight from Vienna. Kim’s one year old baby was then attacked because she was black. Kim took to her blog to address the situation.

4. Tamera Mowry 

Tamera Mowry gets a lot of flack because she is in a bi-racial relationship. The actress often gets emotional in interviews when asked about the racist criticism she’s received for marrying her husband Adam Housley.

5. Samuel L Jackson

Now 65-years-old, Samuel L. Jackson was a victim of racism when he was attending segregated schools in Chattanooga, TN. The actor went on to become a famous movie star.

6. Questlove 

Award-winning recording artist and drummer of hip hop group The Roots has admitted to being racially profiled 20 to 30 times in his lifetime. As a teenager, police drew a gun on him without justifiable cause.

Oscar winner Forest Whitaker was a victim of racism in New York City’s Milano Market in February 2013. An employee accused him of stealing a sandwich and subjected Whitaker to a pat down. The search revealed that Whitaker had stolen nothing.

8. Shah Rukh Khan

Actor Shah Rukh Khan is not a household name to all of us, but he is one of Bollywood’s biggest stars. In August 2009, he flew into Newark Liberty International Airport when authorities pulled him aside for questioning and was later detained because his name appeared on a computerized alert list.

9. Lucy Lui 

Actress Lucy Lui revealed that as an Asian actress, it’s very difficult to find work in Hollywood as a lot of the roles she’s taken on have been stereotyped. 

10. George Lucas

In 2012, the creator of “Star Wars” was refused by  Hollywood studios to back his film “Red Tails” because it had an all black cast. Lucas ended up backing the film himself.

11. Regina King

In 2010, Regina King (who starred in the movie Ray) questioned the organizers of the Emmy Awards for leaving significant African-American television actors off their shortlist. She went on to say that officials snub non-white stars every year. In September 2008, King wrote an open letter questioning the selection process for the ceremonies.

12. Terrence Howard 

At a September 2011 event by the Congressional Black Caucus to honor the Tuskegee Airmen and to promote “Red Tails,”  lead actor of the film Terrence Howard spoke out on the experiences he had being part of an all black cast and the issues they had with Hollywood studios.

13. Kevin Boateng 

Kevin-Prince Boateng led his AC Milan team-mates off the pitch in the 26-minutes of the goalless match in Busto Arsizio, Italy, due to monkey chants coming from a section of the crowd. Boateng took off his shirt and marched off the field with the rest of his team as a stand against racism.

14. Robin Thicke

Robin Thicke revealed that his (soon to be ex) wife that she didn’t take her to his prom because he didn’t want everyone to know she was dating a white guy. At the time of the prom, Paula Patton was the president of the Black Student Union.

15. Barack Obama 

Even the president of the USA has been a victim of racism. He has been questioned about ethnicity since stepping into office and has been called a liar by many members of congress while speaking about race.

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