Gabrielle Union has opened up about being the victim of a racist incident in Croatia

Gabrielle recalled the incident in her new memoir 'You Got Anything Stronger?', which is being serialised by PEOPLE magazine, saying: "I've never experienced that level of hatred and the threat of physical violence.

"It was such a jolt. And the fear and adrenaline of what happened left us all numb."

The '10 Things I Hate About You' star revealed that she and her friends were chased down the street as they left but is saddened that the encounter in Croatia is not an isolated incident.

Gabrielle said: "To go through every instance is to take you through every day of my life. There are microaggressions and there are all out assaults. That's what it is to be a person of colour in this country."

The former 'America's Got Talent' judge continued: "We think we're post racial but we're not. And that is beyond disappointing. I don't think people understand the violence that comes with racism, whether it's if you're being chased or you're having to watch someone wear blackface to collect a paycheck. It's violent."

Gabrielle feels that Hollywood still has a long way to go in terms of racial equality as she recalled the number of times that she has been the only black person on set.

She said: "We're still talking about the first black this, the first Latina this and the first Asian this. That's not progress. Why are we still having firsts? It should be something that shames us all."