Malcolm x once said,
The most disrespected woman 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.
It hard living in America. Even harder when you’re not white. Extra hard if you’re not a man. Extremely hard if you’re a black man. But what about when all the cards are against you? Black women can not do or say anything without being criticized one way or another.
If I wear a weave, I’m trying to be white.
If I wear my natural hair, it’s nappy, unprofessional and ugly
If I like fancy things, I’m boujee.
If I like thrifty stuff, I’m ghetto
If I talk proper, I sound white
If I talk slang, then I’m uneducated
Can’t win for losing. We are closely being watched and silently, and sometimes not so silently judged.
For too long now, the Black woman has been label as “The angry black woman”.
I don’t know about yall, but I can do without the negative adjectives in front of Black woman.
Angry Black Woman
Sassy Black Woman
Ghetto Black Woman.
If you must use descriptive words how about we try
Angry Beautiful Black woman
Sassy Loving Black Woman
Ghetto Amazing Black Woman.
All of those are acceptable. If you think that I personally and angry or maybe just upset at certain situations, then call me angry. Do not label ALL Black women as angry because that is not the case. I’ve seen plenty or angry Black women. And I’ve seen just as many angry Latin women, and angry Asian women and angry White women, but that title doesn’t seem to follow and get past along to every single one of them. Because being angry is not a DNA trait. Sure as hell isn’t a trait of all black women. It is an emotion.Which could be expressed by anyone, any color, any age. Man, woman, and child. It’s easier to assume that I am an angry Black woman than it is to just listen to what I’m trying to say and trying to understand what I mean. Like it has been said, Do NOT confuse my personality with my attitude. My personality is me, My attitude is how YOU treat me.
Speaking of how you treat me. Black women are not objects. We are people. Marvelous creatures, but still people. A perfect example is the story of Saarjie Baartman, A South African woman who was taken from her home, to be exhibited in freak shows throughout Europe due to her extreme body features such as A large butt and hip and elongated labial lips. Baartman died on December 29th, 1815. But her time being displayed were not over. her brain, her skeleton, and her sexual organs were on display at a Paris museum until 1974. I’ll do the math for you. 159 years. 159 years AFTER her death, she was being objectified. Her body was nothing more to them than an artifact.
This was far from the end of Black women being objectified. During slavery, black women were consistently raped and beaten by slave owners. Which they didn’t even consider raped sure to the fact that they believed black women were “hypersexual” and since they wanted sex all the time anyways, no permission was needed.
Even in modern times, we hear and see have in music and music video Black women are objectified. not only black women but women in general, get called bitches and hoes. Shaking their asses in the music video all around men. Shown as strippers and prostitutes. Female entertainers objectify themselves as well. Although there does seem to be a double stander when a Black woman does it vs when a white woman does it. But that’s for another day.
The reason I wanted to write this post was because I saw a photoshoot that tennis champion player, Serena Williams did for Sport illustrated. I think the pictures look great. I like them. Very tastefully done. But over the last few years, We have seen Serena body more than before. Even when she was in Beyonce’s “Sorry” video last year. I am in no way trying to make this seem like a bad thing. However, since then, I feel like the media gives her more attention now. When before where she and her sister were playing tennis, nd I was the little Black girl staring up at the t.v begging my mom for tennis lessons because I finally saw someone like me playing it, was when I felt she was the most influential. Yes, she has an AMAZING body. And I think she’s beautiful. But it’s like everyone else is starting to think so too because she has fewer clothes on.
It’s not the first time I feel like recognition is coming at the wrong time. Example, Halle Berry winning the Oscar from “Monster ball”. I’ve always enjoyed her movies. She was yet again, another Black woman doing things I didn’t know Black women could do. One Of my favorite performances of her was in the movie “Losing Isiah” Which she co-starred with Jessica Lang. She played a crack addict mother who loses her son, which Jessica Lang begins to take care of. It’s a heart-wrenching movie. Great performance by both. But, She did not win an Oscar until 2002, for her performance in “Monster Ball”. It was a role pretty far away from what she usually had done. Bit risky. With a pretty graphic sex scene in it. But why did it take a role like this, for her to be recognized as good enough? To this day she is still the only black woman to win an oscar for a leading role. That’s a story for another day.
My point is, it seems like black women are ignored until our cloth start falling off our bodies, our ass start shaking and our mouths stop moving. Disrespected, objectified then disregarded when it seems like they are no longer useful. WE HAVE GOT TO STOP THIS PATTERN!! This has been going on for far too long. We can only do it. ALL together. Not just black women, Black men too. Not just us Black people, All people.
Outside my mind 