More than a year since apologizing for old Tumblr posts containing racist and offensive language, Camila Cabello is turning a new leaf.
In her recent interview as part of PEOPLE's Women Changing the World issue, the former Fifth Harmony bandmate explained that she joined the National Compadres Network's racial healing program after her December 2019 apology to educate herself on the matters at hand. "It created a space where I was held accountable," the pop star admitted. "You get corrected, you have homework, and you learn. That's how you move forward. Now I know better so I can do better."
Cabello went on to confess that her attendance has since prompted her to take her actions one step further. "As I learned more about other people's experiences in the world, I was like, 'How do I help the people who are on the frontlines of dismantling systems that create oppression?'" she questioned. "And how do I bridge that with my own personal journey with mental health and healing?"
She used these questions as motivation to team up with the Movement Voter Fund to create the Healing Justice Project. The latter is focused on the fight for racial justice and is donating $250,000 to ten different charities, including Black Leaders Organizing Communities, QLatinx and Mass Liberation Arizona. "What all the organizations have in common is that they are helping their communities, especially marginalized groups in their communities," she explained of the collectives. "They all also expressed a need for these mental wellness resources."
In her 2019 apology, Cabello went straight to the point and acknowledged the pain that she caused in her posts. "I was uneducated and ignorant and once I became aware of the history and the weight and the true meaning behind this horrible and hurtful language, I was deeply embarrassed I ever used it," she wrote. "I apologize then and I apologize again now. I'm 22 now, I'm an adult and I've grown and learned and am conscious and aware of the history and the pain it carries in a way I wasn't before."
Photo: Getty Images