October 2020 Featured Article
Who Will Stand For Her?
By Tiffany Lewis, Ph. D
In one of Malcolm X’s most iconic speeches he declared "The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the Black woman. The most neglected person in America is the Black woman"(1962). This quote by Malcolm X was a message to Black men that they should always respect and protect the Black woman. It was also a warning to white men that Black men would protect Black women as vehemently as White men protect their own.
Today, almost 60 years later Black women are still the most disrespected, unprotected and neglected person in America. Black women have always been and still are subject to all the exclusions against Blacks as well as those against women. To illustrate the point more clearly, white women are marginalized by their gender, but privileged by their race and Black men are marginalized by their race, but privileged by their gender. However, Black women are marginalized both for their race and gender, which are inextricably linked. We (as a Black Woman) have a hard-enough time managing the impacts of being both black and female, this marginalization is furthermore compounded with the possibility of us being poor, under-educated, disabled or perhaps LGBTQIA. These intersections create experiences and challenges for Black women that are quite unique and make them more vulnerable to be incarcerated, raped and murdered. In addition, she is vulnerable not only to high levels of relationship violence, but also state sanctioned police violence. Considering this, Black women need the protection of Black Men more than ever.
In recent months we have learned about the senseless murder of Breonna Taylor and witnessed unanswered calls for justice. Just like the countless Black women murdered before her, there have been no arrests, no indictments and no justice. Due to the work of organizations like the AAPF (African American Policy Forum) we have learned about the stories of Pearlie Golden, Aiyana Stanley-Jones, Natasha McKenna and others who have been killed by the police, which have brought about several questions for me. How come these women’s stories aren’t public knowledge? How come their stories weren’t breaking news on major networks? How come society doesn’t value a Black woman’s life? And most importantly, how come no one is coming to our defense, like we do for black men assaulted and killed by the police?
To fully understand why Black women’s names and stories go unmentioned, the incomparable Kimberlé Crenshaw submits that there is a “framing” problem. The awareness of police violence against Black women is exceedingly lowbecause our victimhood does not fit the frame or narrative of who normally suffers at the hands of police. Black women sit at the crossroads or intersection of race and gender bias, therefore rendering us invisible to most. Crenshaw identifies three ways in which race and gender intersect for Black women: Structurally, Representationally, and Politically. Structurally, the position that Black women occupy in society positions us to be subjected to both sexism and racism. Representationally, Black women are most often negatively depicted in the media, which carries over to mainstream society and impacts how people see us and therefore treat us and lastly, the third way that race and gender intersect for Black women is politically. For some time, Black women have been placed in situations where they might have to choose which part of their identity to identify with or to support politically. The Suffrage and Civil Rights movements are examples of instances when Black women have chosen to support their race and temporarily push gender issues aside.
This is where I want to focus your attention. We are at a “tipping point” instigated by the BLM movement and this time we have the opportunity to bring Black women to the center alongside Black men. We cannot let another historic political movement pass without raising awareness about what is happening to Black women in this country and miss the opportunity to make real structural change and achieve true justice for those who have been harmed. Black women give so much to their communities and to this country and it seems as though neither of them love her back. Despite our contributions, Black women are still at the bottom of every economic and public health metric and we are literally fighting for our lives.
Historically, Black women have been an unwavering force protecting the interests and causes of Black men in this country. In many cases moving about in the shadows of Black men to keep movements afloat that didn’t necessarily have her in mind. Women like Louisa M. Jacobs, Harriett Tubman, Ida B. Well, Dorothy I. Height and Fannie Lou Hamer, just to name a few, are examples of figures who have pushed aside issues important to them as women for the greater good. These acts of racial solidarity on behalf of Black women leave people like me questioning who will stand up and fight for us? It is going to take Black men, using their capital, power, and privilege to help achieve true justice and safety for Black women in this country. We need Black men to stand up and make good on Malcolm’s promises to protect Black women at all costs and to care about the issues that disproportionally impact us. We are calling for all Black lives to really matter. #sayhername #blacklivesmatter
More information on why we are capitalizing the word Black: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/05/insider/capitalized-black.html
