As he raped me, I began to hover over myself. I could see the whole room. I looked at that poor crying girl as she was being raped and thought, “Things like this happen to bad people. Things like this don’t happen to people like me.” My psyche, my body, my soul, simply could not take it. Though people say things like “I saw my whole life flash before my eyes,” I can tell you that this didn’t happen to me. I didn’t see my life. I was just very much present at the scene, watching this man rape me with a gun to my head.
—From We’re Going to Need More Wine, by Gabrielle Union
Gabrielle Union was raped while working at a Payless shoe store 25 years ago. She bravely details her sexual assault in her new book, We’re Going to Need More Wine. Union has been vocal about her assault since the beginning of her acting career and has become a leading voice for women of color in conversations about sexual assault.
The actress sat down with The Root for a candid conversation about sexual assault and breaks down the myth of the “perfect victim.” Watch above.