The Need to Protect Black Women and Girls

 

There is a need like never before to protect black women and girls. Despite the lack of society’s interests and momentum to spread the word of the disrespect and sexualization of our women and girls. It is important to protect black women and girls. This summer, the black community has been calling on black men to protect our girls and women. Earlier this week, I was called while I was running errands at the dollar store, I was standing in the aisle and I didn’t even look their way. Two men were bums, but that’s not the point. Nonetheless, one guy shouted at me “OOO Wee!” And the other one laughed and encouraged him “Man go get her.” The harassment and the disrespect of the black woman are real. As Nathan Mccall said it best it just “Makes me want to holler” because the disrespect and harassment are outlandish, and sexist, and reinforces the point that black women are unprotected. During my rage as I left the store, I couldn’t help but think of the famous quote by Malcolm X. “The most disrespected person in America is the black woman. The most unprotected person in America is a black woman. 

 

Where does the black girl go when she is unprotected? Does she have a daddy or a strong male figure in her life? If not, she is forced to figure out life on her own and she accepts the scraps disgused as love. Accepting the bare minimum from men. Where does the black woman go when she is left disrespected? Nowhere, she ends up having to fend for herself. Women shouldn’t have to have all these gadgets and weapons to leave the house to protect themselves. We cannot walk home without being anxious that something tragic will happen – and we might not make it home. Today, you cannot turn on the radio without listening to the overtness of women being sexualized. Black women. They want our bodies, style, and culture but they don’t want us for us. 

They want us for our culture, edges, and hair but then they make fun of us for choosing to show up virtually in every institution such as in the workplace and education. 

 

 

Aiyana Stanley-Jones was a seven-year-old little girl asleep on her couch when police performed a raid in her house by the Detroit Police Department on May 16, 2010. She was asleep and shot in her head. How is she perceived as a threat? Why wasn’t her innocent and livelihood protected?  More than 10 years later, her family is still grieving, and she is missing from her family. If she was still alive today, she would be 18 years old. He was charged with one charge of manslaughter. However, in 2015, after five years of her death, he returned to the police department with active duty. This type of behavior reinforces that her life does not matter because he would not be punished for this offense. 

 

 

I am still calling for justice for black women. Breonna’s Taylor has been waiting for justice for so long. It has been more than 100 days since she has been killed. Taylor was from Louisville, KY asleep in her bed when the police burst into her home and performed an illegal search. They shot at her in response to her boyfriend firing his gun out of responding to people entering his home. How does a black woman gets shot in her bed? How does she get shot and no aid is rendered on her behalf? Would she have lived if she was rendered immediate care? Why did her life tragically slip through the hands of the law? As a police officer, you took the oath to perform the “duty of care.” Her death symbolizes the epitome of the Black Lives Matter movement and #SayHerName. I made a post a couple of weeks ago speaking to the low momentum and lack of concern. “Yall not saying her name loud enough for me.” Taylor’s case garnered national attention after the death of #GeorgeFloyd. The patriarchal structure of society reinforces that men and superior to women. And the fact that her justice is taking SOOO long and has taken the back seat to justice. 

 

On September 23, 2020, the day when the verdict of Breonna Taylor was annouced I was devastased and frustrated for the country. That day our entire community was in mourning. A deep mourning. The fact that no officer will serve prison time for her death is devastating. The verdict returned charging one officer out of six of "wanton endangerment." In other words, for shooting into the next door's neighbors apartment but not shooting her lifeless body six times. She was never rendered care and her life was meaningless. To people that continue to put faith in a system that tells us that our lifes dont matter baffles me. For people of color, this is nothing new but has been reinforce and stomached throughout history. For a black women to be shot down in her bed, told us that black women are undervalued in society.

 

 

 

 

 

Black lives matter. Black women matter. Black children matter. Black men matter. Black trans live matters. Black drug dealers. ALL BLACK LIVES MATTER. Respect Black Men. Protect Black Women and Children

Love always and In solidarity,

Nikia