Believe Black Women

Believe Black Women

We are in the midst of a pandemic, and a cultural reckoning with rampant police brutality, racism, and sex abuse of all genders. Our cultural, religious and governmental institutions are under intense scrutiny, but the people we have upheld as idols for their authority, status, and high achievements have enormous power to remain immune from the consequences of their actions. I'm talking about Jeffrey Epstein, Harvey Weinstein, the police, and yes, Bill Cosby, R. Kelly, and Russell Simmons.

A recurrent theme in the documentaries Surviving R. Kelly, and On the Record was that Black women fear that telling their stories about sexual abuse at the hands of a powerful Black man, would be viewed as a betrayal to the race, that they would not be believed, they would be forever defined by being a victim, and their careers would be ruined. That if Black women tell their stories, the Black people they love will be randomly subjected to more injustice, like George Floyd, Philando Castile, and Jacob Blake. These Black women's tears and vulnerability were a revelation to me as a Black woman. I had only seen Black women's anger, rage, humor, toughness, and resilience portrayed in the media. This is an unfair burden for Black women. Black women should not be the vessels to hold the pain of the violence, and humiliation inflicted on all Black people. #BlackLivesMatter, with the focus on Brionna Taylor, has recently expanded to include women murdered by the police, and has yet to highlight transwomen. A Black woman's voice, right to safety, security, autonomy and sovereignty over her body and Black people's right to freedom from being hunted by the police should not be mutually exclusive.

It can be true that Bill Cosby, R. Kelly, and Russell Simmons made great contributions to creative culture, and also used their celebrity status to abuse and rape women. Their transgressions should not justify the oppression of all Black people. They are not the only Black men we have to admire who have not raped women. We still have James Baldwin, MalcolmX, and Barack Obama, and many unknown Black men quietly living their lives, out of the the spotlight, loving and supporting their families and communities. White people do not have to worry that the entire White race will be represented by the Jeffrey Dahmers and Ted Bundies of the world. Jeffrey Epstein's White female victims risked humiliation and slut shaming from telling their stories, but could rest easy that they did not make White men more vulnerable to being stereotyped as rapists. We will be free from racial oppression as Black people when we are not defined by the worst among us, and do not have to be seen as paragons of virtue, an impossible standard for anyone, in order to enjoy the advantages of full citizenship in the United States.

I believe Anita Hill. I believe Azriel Clary. I believe Drew Dixon. I Believe Black Women and #BlackLivesMatter.