We Are Paying For Your Silence With Our Lives
Everyday, another black life is being taken and it is almost always preventable… The words racial injustice, racism, police brutality are all words everyone, at this point, has been forced to acknowledge. Some are tired of hearing about it and others tired of not being able to go onto social media and see their normal feed… Well, what is truly tiring is being racially conscious right now when it seems as if most of the world could care less. Everyone wants to move on because everything right now is draining and overwhelming. I get it… trust me I do but it is a privilege to even think about “moving on”... moving on means that there is something better waiting for you in the future. As a black woman, my future depends on everything that we are doing right now. I don’t have the luxury of looking towards the future… We are not allowed to move on until tangible changes have been made and our voices have been heard.
Previously, I wrote about how black people in America are in a major crisis… More specifically, black women are the principal objects of injustice and their ability to be vulnerable is masked by stereotypes. This is because within every marginalized group there are sections of more vulnerable individuals within them. For example, when we are fighting for black lives, cisgender black men tend to take the spotlight over black women, trans black people, disabled black people etc. I say this not to be divisive in any way but to bring awareness to this issue. Speaking specifically for black women, it is a fact that we are doubly and even triply oppressed within society. We are not only black, but women in a patriarchal society… triply oppressed if we are not cisgender or heterosexual. Malcolm X said that the most neglected person in America is the black woman. This still remains true because in every aspect of life we are the most mistreated, least cared for and understood.
Black women are 243 percent more likely to die from pregnancy- or childbirth-related causes. Around 22 percents of black women in the U.S have been victims of rape. Black women experience intimate partner violence at a rate 35 percent higher than that of their white counterparts and about 2.5 times the rate of women of other races. Black women are also less likely to report the abuses they experience or use resources to cope with their experiences. Take these statistics with a grain of salt because they do not represent the black women who did not feel comfortable enough to report. It’s important to note that these statistics did not come out of thin air and are not surprising. In order to explain these statistics and everything that is currently perpetuating the use, abuse and killing of black women, I have to take y’all way back…
During slavery, the bodies of black women were used to practice medical procedures; the physician responsible was a white man by the name of Marion Sims. He is currently referred to as the “father of modern gynecology” because of his advancements in the field. That’s great and all but what they fail to mention is that his accolades are at the expense of the lives of black women… he used our bodies as means for experimentation and without anesthesia. Although this was years ago, his impact is still apparent today. Stereotypes that black women are stronger, have higher pain tolerance and do not need to be protected stem from many instances in history and this is a primary example. Moving on to the Civil Rights Movement, black women fought for equity right beside black men, yet the names of these women are often unknown. Even within black spaces, when black women would provide their ideas and suggestions, they were undermined by black men. However, black women continued to stand by black men and support their visions. Black women fought during the suffrage movement but ask yourself how many black names you were taught… stumped? Well, you most definitely know of Susan B. Anthony. Black women have been excluded from every conversation, especially those involving racial equity to gender equality. This act of silencing our voices, pain and experiences are not novel but something embedded in the history of this country. I felt like I could not properly explain what is happening today in terms of our persecution without paralleling it with what has happened in the past.
Taking that history into consideration, we see that black women have been suffering immensely and their suffering has not been recognized. There is always a rebuttal instead of reflection when black women recount their experiences. This is why we are not likely to report assault and are not taken seriously when we do. The underlying problem is that the plight of the black woman still has not taken priority and those who have the power to amplify our voices are remaining silent. This silence is what allowed Oluwatoyin Salau to be murdered. This silence is why Breonna Taylor’s murderers have not been detained. This silence is why Sandra Bland’s murder was ruled as suicide. This silence is what reminds me and millions of other black women that our lives don’t hold as much value as it should in this world.
Just a quick reminder that the black community will not be safe or fully protected unless the most downtrodden individual within our community receives the love and protection they deserve. The phrase “Black Lives Matter” encompasses the entire black community… not just the individuals you are most comfortable protecting.
P.S Not sure of how to protect black women right now? Start with listening not to respond but to understand. It is your silence that is killing us. It is your carelessness and lack of engagement with issues that concern us that is killing us.
Stay safe and empowered!
Love,
The EBW
