“The most disrespected person 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.” This famous quote by Malcom X is prevalent throughout social media, especially on pages that advocate for black women. How can a quote that’s over 50 years old be trending today? Perhaps because it’s still timely and relevant. Black women continue to be ignored, abused and mistreated, oftentimes by the same men in our community who are supposed to protect us.
I initially had hesitations about writing this post, only because it’s disheartening having to discuss the problematic situations black women face everyday in this country. I watch many YouTubers who promote black feminine spaces and they spend a majority of their videos raising public awareness for black women’s struggles.
I had to say something however, after learning about what happened to 19-year-old, Nigerian American, Black Lives Matter activist Oluwatoyin Salau. For those who don’t know, Oluwatoyin was found dead over the weekend. She vanished the same day she tweeted about being sexually assaulted. She wrote that she escaped unjust living conditions and was seeking refuge in a church. A black man offered her a ride and to find someplace to sleep, later claiming he would recollect her belongings from the church. When she got to his house, he indecently exposed himself to her while using the bathroom and later assaulted her after she fell asleep. Oluwatoyin eventually woke up, realized what transpired and escaped. She didn’t have her phone on her and apparently had poor vision. If you want to see the entire twitter thread, It’s still up on her page.
According to the New York Post, another woman who was later identified as 75-year-old Victoria Sims, was also missing and found dead nearby. Aaron Glee Jr., 49, was taken into custody in connection with the killings. It is alleged that this is the same man Oluwatoyin accused of sexual assault a few days prior. Aaron, a black man, is a repeat offender, charged with multiple counts of aggravated battery, first on May 30th and then on June 9th, three days after Oluwatoyin was reported missing. For the first incident, he had propositioned a woman he was drinking with for sex. When she refused, he pushed her and repeatedly kicked her in the abdomen with an intent to cause bodily harm or disability. The New York Post reported that neither Oluwatoyin or Victoria were the victims in that particular case.
Oluwatoyin was a prevalent figure in the Tallahassee, Florida Black Lives Matter protests. She actively demanded justice for black police brutality victims, including George Floyd and Tony McDade, who died in Tallahassee in May. Her friends said she was a passionate, spiritual, loving and outspoken person, who vocalized other people’s struggles. Although she advocated for everyone who tragically lost their lives to police violence, she especially highlighted black men. Unfortunately, it was one of these same alleged black men that she was advocating for that tragically took her life. She even tweeted, “the same n*ggas i’m risking my life for are the same n*ggas who are convinced they are stealing away my ‘innocence’ or jewel not knowing that I am standing on a rock. Therefore I can never be broken or robbed.” Shout out to YouTuber Paris Milan who uncovered this, her older tweets also defended rappers like YG and Kodak Black, who have a history of making colorist remarks toward women with the exact same complexion as Oluwatoyin.
I’m bringing up Oluwatoyin’s story to emphasize something I mentioned in my previous post “The Strong Black Woman,” black women are repeatedly on the frontlines for black men, but we rarely get that courtesy in return. Obviously, I know it’s virtually impossible to protest every police brutality case, but I notice there’s more of a public outcry when black men are the victims over black women. Black women are usually overlooked and forgotten, failing to gain the same amount of national attention, sympathy, and support as a black man. Black women are culturally conditioned from a young age to live in a male-centric society. We’re taught to care after our brothers, sons, fathers, nephews, male cousins, and husbands, but rarely get that protection in return. How long for instance, did it take for us to finally talk about Breonna Taylor’s case? Granted I’m happy we’re finally shining a spotlight on it, but she was killed in March and her murderers STILL haven’t been charged. That’s why you see all these posts with “Say Her Name” stamped on it because we often turn a blind eye to the fact that black women endure horiffic plights as well.
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t formerly male centric. I often said that I needed to look out for my male relatives, my future son…. but what about your sisters, daughters, aunts, nieces, female cousins, and wives? Do they not deserve compassion and protection? Sadly, there were many black women who were unjustly murdered by the police and I’m just now learning their names. Atatiana Jefferson, shot in her home by a police officer in Fort Worth, Texas; Shantel Davis, shot by a police officer in the chest in Brooklyn; Korryn Gaines, shot cradling her 5-year-old son in her arms after police tried to issue her an arrest warrant; Pamela Turner, fatally shot by Baytown Police; and last but not least, Sandra Bland, a 28-year-old black woman who was found hanging in her jail cell following a “confrontational 2015 traffic stop.” And let’s have a moment of silence for the countless other black women who were murdered and received zero national coverage.
These women rarely get the same global outrage and attention as their male counterparts. Their cases are invisible, with the officers who murdered them facing zero accountability or charges. It’s already difficult being black in America, imagine being a black woman in America, constantly “caping” for black men as we call it and getting minimal effort in return. We are praised during times of crisis in our community, but then get degraded and dismissed when those periods of crisis are over.
Black women endure egregious injustices in other areas outside of police brutality, such as rape, kidnapping, sexual assault, and domestic violence. They are disproportionately impacted compared to other minority groups. For instance, although all races deal with intraracial domestic violence, black women are at a higher risk overall. According to a VeryWell Mind, “Black and Hispanic couples are two to three times more likely to report male-to-female and female-to-male partner violence than white couples, and alcohol plays a role in the increased risk of violence, especially among black couples.”
The statistics for black women suffering from sexual violence are also alarmingly high. Now.org states that “over eighteen percent of African American women will be sexually assaulted in her lifetime.” These instances are routinely underreported or under-addressed. You can read more about that here. The FBI reports that 40 percent of sex trafficking victims are African Americans, with the number rising significantly in larger cities. GrantMakers for Girls of Color mentions how in “Los Angeles County, the African-American victim rate reaches 92 percent. In overwhelming numbers, the persons most likely to be victimized are vulnerable Black girls and women.”
Black women are often placed in vulnerable positions with no first line of defense. They are in a unique category where their issues are treated like an afterthought. They rarely get any support, medical assistance/treatment, and resources in their own communities or from public service organizations. As a black woman, we typically have to stand up for ourselves. If you’re a true advocate for Black Lives Matter, then black women’s lives should matter too.
Here are a list of resources for black women and girls (UPDATED):
Saw these awesome resources from Jessie Woo on Instagram and thought I’d include them! Please donate to these organizations and follow their pages on social media! It’s also important to note that black women and girls are globally victimized by rape, domestic abuse, violence and femicide. Go on Jessie’s page @thejessiewoo or the pages listed to learn more.
Stand To End Rape Initiative: IG – @standtoendrape, Web –http://standtoendrape.org/
Incite National: Twitter – @incitenews, Web – https://incite-national.org/
Hands Off Initiative: IG – @handsoffng, Web – https://www.handsoffinitiative.org/
Commission on Gender Equality: http://www.cge.org.za/
Mirabel Centre NG: IG – @mirabelcentreng, Web – https://mirabelcentre.org/
Domestic Violence Hotline: https://www.thehotline.org/
Sexual Assault Hotline: https://www.rainn.org/
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.self.com/story/black-mental-health-resources/amp
https://www.nami.org/Your-Journey/Identity-and-Cultural-Dimensions/Black-African-American
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