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I could not disagree more strongly with specific individual Black women who are angry about this tweet but silent on other related issues.
Are You 'Tolerating' More Hate Than You Think?
How We Villainize Black Women Who Disagree with Males: C. Delores Tucker (audio story)
Black Women Safety
When the conversation turned to Black women being concerned about males in our spaces we were quickly met with the expectation that we of all people would be in favor of mixed-sex spaces because....."Black women are thought to be like men"
What?!
What does that have to do with our concerns for our safety as females? As it is, Black women are less likely to come forward because we are less likely to be believed and less likely to have our cases investigated like other women's cases. In fact, most women's cases do not get deserved care and attention.
Black women do not need the added complication of males in our spaces when we are already at a disadvantage with:
limited dedicated resources
limited dedicated & knowledgeable support
limited cultural understanding from experts
and limited give a damn about us.
Black Women Reproductive Health
Years before JK Rowling's tweet there have been almost daily tweets calling Black women "men". Including angry tweets directed at comedian Jess Hilarious. To be fair, I have rarely agreed with her perspective on anything, but that isn't saying much because she doesn't need me to. She's successful and has a lot of fans. I do however support her right to speak and share her opinions.
I happened to agree with her when she spoke on females owning or having the right to gatekeep menstruation. Absolutely.
We don't even so much as speak on men's private parts. Contrast that with all the forced actions, legislation, policies, and outside opinions pushed on female parts. I'm of the age when it is time to talk to males about prostate exams. Those talks don't last long. Men shut those down immediately!
Yet women and girls MUST not only have the conversations in the presence of males but be told what we will do with our parts and when.
I'm pissed about:
The harassment of prominent FGM advocates who were told they were insensitive and hateful for bringing up their trauma because it hurt the feelings of others.
I SAID: Women who were held down and cut without anesthesia as little girls were admonished for discussing their pain because it "hurt feelings".
Black Maternal Health
Black women are dying in childbirth throughout the globe. As someone who had a horrible experience and birth I spoke up.
1. We were told not to discuss pregnancy, and unilaterally decided on female health terminology changes, (because "hurt feelings" and "hate")
2. How to discuss it so as not to hurt others.
3. To accept males in our conversations
4. We are hateful if we do not.
Black Women and Male Comparisons
One prominent Black feminist posted a tweet reminding the platform about Michelle Obama being called a man. That tweet got thousands of likes that night. It was a huge low and disappointment.
To date, no one has explained what is supposed to happen because stupid people shared a one-brain-celled opinion. Stupid people once thought and still think that Black people have tails. What am I supposed to do with this information?
Some people on this planet are bottom-shoe stupid and quite comfortable in that state. What do you want from me?
Black Women in Prison
Having facilitated support groups for female rape and domestic violence Survivors who happen to be serving jail time, imprisonment is an issue close to me.
This issue still just gets silenced, within and outside of the community. In general, when women minoritized women are harmed, the overall message seems to be that people should forgive and accept so that more people will not be in jail.
Never mind our resulting disabilities, trauma, addictions, pain etc...
Anyway, discussions around males in prisons are only among a few women despite numerous attempts to engage others.
Despite sharing this terrible story of a mixed-race, lesbian-led couple who was murdered:
In California, Will a Male Mass Shooter Serve His Life Sentence in a Male or Women's Prison? (updated)
Black Female Athletes
Silence comes again when it is time to discuss what will happen when Black female athletes are pushed out of scholarship opportunities by males or personal beliefs.
Personal beliefs do not begin and end with religion. In high school, I was the captain of the Marching Band Flag Team. Try-outs were long, hot, and hard.
One of the girls who made the squad did not march with us because her father objected to the mini skirts that were part of our uniform. As a teen, I thought that was silly. Upon reflection on all that freezing and upskirting we endured, he was right.
When Will Social Justice Benefit Black Women?
My issue is, that long before the perhaps outdated pop culture references, there have been many occasions to speak boldly on behalf of Black women in this debate. And yet, there has been heavy and vast silence.
There's a number of us that have been trying to have a reasonable, logical, equitable dialogue that takes into account the fragility and newness of women's rights and women's safety....and but for a few, we have been met with prek level "name-calling" and accusations of "hate".
Unreasonableness.
Baseless accusations.
Adult tantrums.
Threats.
And, we have not even gotten to the kids yet.
When anger, passion, and rage-even when justified- is a stand-in for reason, expertise, knowledge, compassion, and empathy...conversation and dialogue become impossible.
Listen, I'm tired of Black people being conveniently centered in social justice issues but I'm also, tired of Black women's life, death, and health concerns being largely ignored by members of our own community too.
Even In Social Justice Movements, Black Pain for White Gain
