Shelah Marie Defends Keeping Her 'Unruly Retreat' Exclusive To Black Women

Source: Courtesy VH1 / ViacomCBS

Social media broke out into some heated discourse after a recent episode of Love & Hip Hop: Miami.

It all started after Neri, who is the wife of Drinks Champs host Noreaga, expressed her concerns about her castmate Shelah Marie’s annual “Unruly Retreat.”  Marie, who has been a longtime advocate of women’s wellness, launched the initiative through her Curvy, Curly, Conscious group as a way to create a safe space for Black women, in particular, to come together and heal over the societal struggles they often face. The event also teaches women how to practice self-love and well-being techniques.

Sounds nice, right?

Well, Neri, who is not Black, wasn’t too happy that she wasn’t able to join in on the festivities. Neri felt as though Marie should open up the getaway to women of all races. Ray J’s on and off again wife Princess Love also came to Neri’s defense citing that because she has Black children that she too would be able to learn a few things about the plight of Black women at the retreat.

Take a look at the trio’s exchange below.

Shortly after the episode aired, social media critics lit up Instagram and Twitter with some folks siding with Shelah’s decision to keep the Unruly Treat exclusive to Black women.

One user wrote:

“Y’all love making Black women the mule for everyone’s growth and healing. explained clearly why there’s a need for a protected space for Black women. Proximity to Black genitalia, and having Black children, does not grant you access to Black only space.”

While another person chimed in:

“Yeah, #LoveAndHipHopmiami TRIED IT @ShelahMarie THANK YOU FOR SPEAKING Up! Seems like there is always a rebuttal for “black women” wanting a space of our own in a world that tells us we don’t belong… based on the gradient of our skin…. constantly.”

Other social media watchdogs called out Shelah for inviting, Princess Love to the retreat, who is of Half Black and Filipino descent while excluding Neri.

“@ShelahMarie invited princess to the retreat but told Neri she couldn’t come because she’s not black but princess ain’t black either she’s Philippino! I don’t like this fake spiritual chick!” wrote one person.

Yikes!

Shelah has commented on the outburst of chatter on Instagram. The singer and actress responded to the Neighborhood Talk’s clips from the episode writing that the Unruly Retreat was “for anyone who shares the daily lived experience of Black women.”

However, it doesn’t appear as though she’s phased by some of the negative comments she’s received. The star took to her Instagram stories on Oct. 26 where she simply shaded naysayers with an unbothered meme of RHOA’s Nene writing in her caption:

“Me RN because I said what I said and I didn’t even watch the episode.”

This was a heated debate for sure, but it was refreshing to see the ladies discuss their issues in a respectful way.  What do you think? Was Shelah right for standing her ground about the retreat or were Neri’s feelings valid?

Take a look at some more comments surfacing about the topic on social media below.