Ellen Pompeo Receives Racially-Charged Backlash After Using Black Emojis

Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo received her fair share of attacks in response to her reaction that A&E changed the name of its documentary series that focuses on the resurgence of the KKK. The series was originally called “Generation KKK,” but has since been changed to “Escaping the KKK: A Documentary Series Exposing Hate in America.”

Many Twitter users took issue with Pompeo using black emojis in her tweet, while others were happy to see her taking a stand. Pompeo shares two biracial children with Chris Ivery, who is black, which many users chose to ignore.

Pompeo attempted to clarify her statements, which sometimes requires more than just 140 characters.

Pompeo also chose to directly engage with the people attacking her, sometimes with reasoning, sometimes with passion.

Pompeo is no stranger to making public statements about racial issues in America. The star spoke out about the lack of diversity at the 2013 Emmy Awards, saying in an interview, “I didn’t see any diversity in the Emmys at all.” She pointed out, “The Emmys felt so dated to me…That dance number was embarrassing. Did you see one person of color in that dance number?”

Speaking on the diversity of characters on Grey’s Anatomy, the Pompeo beamed, “I’m extremely proud of our very, very diverse cast which represents the world I walk around in any day.”

READ MORE GREY’S ANATOMY NEWS: Grey’s Anatomy’s Sara Ramirez Reveals She Is Bisexual / Grey’s Anatomy Star Caterina Scorsone Welcomes Baby Girl / McDreamy Returns To Grey’s Anatomy / ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Star Camilla Luddington Debuts Her Baby Bump / Tessa Ferrer Is Returning To Grey’s Anatomy

[H/T E! News]