Black Women: Humans Worth Protecting
By Madinah Amani Ali
Among everything happening in the world, it is safe to say that things are hectic in the U.S. Black lives are being lost at an alarmingly high rate due to the mutating Coronavirus, but also to another plague that has been infecting Americans for hundreds of years: Racism. The entirety of the United States along with several other countries have been protesting for the lives of black people being loss for minuscule reasons. Protesting for accountability and changes throughout a system that was built to discriminate and racial profile against black people. This movement became stronger after the death of Freddie Grey, Alton Sterling, Eric Garner and many others not listed here. The tipping point this year, was the death of George Floyd. An average man who was murdered so blatantly by suffocation of a knee to his neck by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. For 8 minutes and 46 seconds, Chauvin held his knee on the neck on the accused Floyd for allegedly submitting a counterfeit $20 bill at a nearby convenience store prior. The spread of this vile video throughout social media was the final spark that reignited the flames of the Black Lives Matter movement and has made it stronger than ever, with global support for its message: that all lives can’t matter unless Black Lives Matter also!
I felt proud of my people and the people who showed true allyship. A bill in New York called the “Amy Cooper” bill passed criminalizing false reports based on race, and the police officers involved in the death of George Floyd was terminated and arrested; however, a common theme struck me and hit home. Where are the forgotten black women in all this.
Breonna Taylor, a 26 year-old woman, an essential worker as an EMT was murdered in her sleep three months ago in Louisville, KY; Sandra Bland who also died in police custody and countless others are among black women whose families have not seen justice, who never received the closure they are entitled to after such acts.
“Say Her Name” is the slogan created in remembrance of black woman who also suffered the same fate as black men by law enforcement are not seen, are swept under the rug, are mourned for a short period of time and ultimately forgotten.
It is imperative that black women are raised up and protected by the people the same way black men are. It is a fight for equality on all fronts; to cast a shadow on black women and black transwomen, is not fighting for equality and justice for all.
Black women are fighting three viruses: Coronaviruses, racism, and being a woman. What will it take for the voices of the mothers, sisters, cousins, and friends with black voices to be heard? To share a space in being protected by others?
The question may seem complex, but I assure you, it’s simple. Black women are to be treated as human, like everyone else. They are our essential workers, creators, entrepreneurs, doctors, lawyers, caretakers, and mothers. You cannot begin to put black women in a box. They deserve to live, be loved, and protected.
