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| Courtesy AFP |
I would be remiss if I didn't take note of people who have discussed this issue, here and here and here. And I have given my two cents till I'm out of pocket change.
The issue has been forced and it finds itself here on Qalil.com and I feel compelled to address it.
The situation of African American women is fraught with misconceptions, distortion of facts and because of these, defensive attitudes on the part of black women. Recently, the pandemonium surrounding the very personal issue of abortion has brought to light a very vicious and continuous assault on the black female.
The three major misconceptions of black women in the media and on the news, which they find immense pleasure in reporting are
1. Black women are promiscuous. We see it in the music videos and now we're hearing about it because oh look how many baby-daddies they have!
2. Black women rely on public assistance to support their ever growing brood. Not only is this message continuously portrayed in movies and on TV, but during campaigns the Republican party REMINDS the tax payer that their hard earned dollars are going to promiscuous black women who do not work and are raising crooks that will rob you.
3. Black women have no moral values whatsoever. Sure we see them in church, but they hide illegal narcotics for their shiftless criminal boyfriends, they will take off their clothes for a few dollars, they will sleep with any man that comes calling, raise crooks and now they are KILLING INNOCENT CHILDREN.
In light of this fact, why should the black woman be considered at all when making any kind of public policy? Why should she be included in public discourse and have any attention paid to her? Why indeed would anyone fight for her rights to healthcare, education, the right to live in peace without prejudice and be hired? Why?
I liken the war that has been called on black women by ThatsAbortion to the insane acts of a school yard bully. He raises his voice and calls a person a name and then the hooligans surrounding him - his posse - repeat what he has said, only saying it louder to attract the attention of passers-by. People who do not want to get involved pass by, probably shaking their heads, but do nothing to protect the person being bullied.
More often than not the bully has serious feelings of insecurity or is acting out violence they have witnessed at home or on TV.
The onus is now on us as black women to figure out what the reason for this message is. While the pastor may be operating from a false sense of protection, probably stemming from his own guilt, he is just a small little pawn in the system. There is funding for this project, artists being hired, meetings being called, websites created and the whole convoluted system of bullying just has his face on it.
We matter. We matter a lot. If we didn't there would not be such a concerted effort to squash our voices and make us nothing else other than symbols to despise, pity and very quickly reject. We have to stand up for our rights, no matter what insults are hurled at us, demand that we be included when policy makers are making decisions and insert ourselves into the very fabric of our society so that we cannot be ignored.
Wherever you are, wherever you write and blog make sure that everyone knows that you will not be bullied and will stand firm with your sisters on issues that affect your lives.
The situation of African American women is fraught with misconceptions, distortion of facts and because of these, defensive attitudes on the part of black women. Recently, the pandemonium surrounding the very personal issue of abortion has brought to light a very vicious and continuous assault on the black female.
The three major misconceptions of black women in the media and on the news, which they find immense pleasure in reporting are
1. Black women are promiscuous. We see it in the music videos and now we're hearing about it because oh look how many baby-daddies they have!
2. Black women rely on public assistance to support their ever growing brood. Not only is this message continuously portrayed in movies and on TV, but during campaigns the Republican party REMINDS the tax payer that their hard earned dollars are going to promiscuous black women who do not work and are raising crooks that will rob you.
3. Black women have no moral values whatsoever. Sure we see them in church, but they hide illegal narcotics for their shiftless criminal boyfriends, they will take off their clothes for a few dollars, they will sleep with any man that comes calling, raise crooks and now they are KILLING INNOCENT CHILDREN.
In light of this fact, why should the black woman be considered at all when making any kind of public policy? Why should she be included in public discourse and have any attention paid to her? Why indeed would anyone fight for her rights to healthcare, education, the right to live in peace without prejudice and be hired? Why?
More often than not the bully has serious feelings of insecurity or is acting out violence they have witnessed at home or on TV.
The onus is now on us as black women to figure out what the reason for this message is. While the pastor may be operating from a false sense of protection, probably stemming from his own guilt, he is just a small little pawn in the system. There is funding for this project, artists being hired, meetings being called, websites created and the whole convoluted system of bullying just has his face on it.
We matter. We matter a lot. If we didn't there would not be such a concerted effort to squash our voices and make us nothing else other than symbols to despise, pity and very quickly reject. We have to stand up for our rights, no matter what insults are hurled at us, demand that we be included when policy makers are making decisions and insert ourselves into the very fabric of our society so that we cannot be ignored.
Wherever you are, wherever you write and blog make sure that everyone knows that you will not be bullied and will stand firm with your sisters on issues that affect your lives.
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