Magazine

OldestAfricanAmericanmagazinesandmostsuccessful.

April13th,2015

BLACK
GIRLS
MATTER

issueathandregardingblack
females.Intodayssociety,the
systemtendstofailfemalesbut
mostespeciallyblackfemales.

Blackwomensufferalltheburdens
ofbeingblackinawhitedominated
by:Amajuoritse
societyandalltheburdensofbeing
Omatseye
femaleinamaledominatedsociety.

Anyfeministgroupthatdoesnot
SincethemomentMichael
haveanantiracistideologyhas
BrownwasmurderedonAugust9,
absolutelynothingincommonwith
acampaigncalledBlackLives
theblackwomansstruggle.Black
Matterbeganinordertoraise
peopleareengagedinalifeand
awarenessforpolicebrutality
deathstruggleandthemain
againstblackmales.Sincethis
emphasisofBlackwomenmustbe
campaignismainlythemedaround
tocombattheracistexploitationof
blackmale,manygroupshave
blackpeople.Anothermajor
attemptedtocointheirownterm
differentiationisthatthewhite
outoftheideathatlivesmatter.
womensliberationmovementis
Thisiswhy,Ihavechosenthe
basicallymiddleclass.Fewofthese
slogan,BlackGirlsMatterin
womensuffertheextremeeconomic
ordertoraiseawarenesstothe
exploitationsthat

mostblackwomenaresubjectedto
daybyday.Thisisthefactorthat
ismostcrucialforblackwomen.
Blackwomenhavegottodealwith
theproblemsthattheblackmasses
dealwithbecauseourproblemsin
realityareoneandthesame.Ifthe
majorfeministgroupsdonot
realizethattheyareinfactfighting
racismalso,thenblackwomen
cannotunitewiththemaround
commongrievances,oreven
discussthesegroupsinaserious
manner,becausetheyare
completelyunawareoftheblack
struggle.

Blackwomensufferallthe
burdensofbeingblackinawhite
dominatedsocietyandallthe
burdensofbeingfemaleinamale
dominatedsociety.Anyfeminist
groupthatdoesnothavean
antiracistideologyhasabsolutely
nothingincommonwiththeblack
womansstruggle.Blackpeople
areengagedinalifeanddeath
struggleandthemainemphasisof
Blackwomenmustbetocombat
theracistexploitationofblack
people.Anothermajor
differentiationisthatthewhite
womensliberationmovementis
basicallymiddleclass.Fewof
thesewomensuffertheextreme
economicexploitationsthatmost
blackwomenaresubjectedtoday
byday.Thisisthefactorthatis
mostcrucialforblackwomen.
Blackwomenhavegottodeal
withtheproblemsthattheblack
massesdealwithbecauseour
problemsinrealityareoneandthe
same.Ifthemajorfeministgroups
donotrealizethattheyareinfact
fightingracismalso,thenblack
womencannotunitewiththem
aroundcommongrievances,or
evendiscussthesegroupsina
seriousmanner,becausetheyare
completelyunawareoftheblack
struggle.

Manyblackwomenexperience
discriminationandarediscredited,
evenwithintheirowncommunities.
Forexample,thewomenin
Fergusonhaveplayedacriticalrole
inmobilizingtheircommunitiesto
convictOfficerDarrenWilson.Like
thewomenoftheCivilRights
movement,theirstrategieswere
passionateandrelentless.Theyfeed,
theyclothe,theyorganize,andthey
rally.Becauseofthem,therewasa
tangiblemovementoccurringin
Ferguson.Butstill,thesewomen
experienceblatantsexism.As
womenwerethemajorityinthe
movementthereinSt.Louis,itis
puzzlingtodiscoverthattheywere
notseenfortheworktheywere
doingbutratherfortheirpretty
faces.Awomanmentionedthatshe
waswalkingbacktohercarandan
oldermanyelledather,Ay,you,
ay,comehere.Letmetouchyour
hair.Letmetouchyourhair.
(Braswell)Apparently,hewas
supposedtobeaprotesteryethe
wasmoreworriedaboutherhair
ratherthanhispurposeforbeing
thereatthattime.Ifourownblack
mendonothaverespectorregard
forusthennooneothergroupin
societywillevergiveusourcredit.
Wehavetobeasconcernedabout
theexperiencesofsingleBlack
womenwhoraisetheirkidson
welfareasweareaboutthe
disproportionatenumberofBlack
menwhoareincarcerated.Wemust
careasmuchaboutBlackwomen

whoarethevictimsofdomestic
violenceaswedoaboutblackboys
caughtupinthedrugtrade.We
mustemphasizethefactthatBlack
womenonaveragemakeless
moneyandhavelesswealththan
bothwhitewomenandBlackmen
intheUnitedStatesasmuchaswe
focusonthewaysinwhichBlack
menwomenaredisproportionately
excludedfrommanytraditional
professions.

Inaworldwhere4060%ofBlack
womenwillberapedbeforetheage
of18andyetonlyonein10will
everreportandstillrepresentthe
leastamountofconvictionsof
thosewhodoreportamongstall
ethnicgroups,Iwouldwagerthat
visibilityismoreimportantfor
Blackwomen,allBlackwomen,
thanrepresentation(Patin).
KarleneGriffithswrotearesponse
on
TheFeministWire
articlecalled

IfItWasntfortheWomen,were
shesaid,
Therealityisthatthewomen

andgirlsarethefabricofthe
communityandholdalltogether.
Thewomenusuallythinkand
workforthewhole,anddaily
confrontdeathdealingforces,
internalandexternal,onbehalfof
theflourishingofthe
collective.Asweknowthisradical
politicisnttelevisedor
acknowledged,andmostoften
erased,muted,orinvisibilized.
Thereissomuchtounearthhere
whenwecentralizethesebodies
andvoices(Griffiths).

feministTwitterissimplynotthere.
Thesexismoftraditionalblackcivil
rights,civicandreligious
organizationsisworsenedbythe
lackofculturallyresponsive
antisexisteducationforblackgirls.
Itisnorevelationthenthatyoung
blackgirlsseefeminismasnotjust
whitebutasirrelevant.Anditisno
surprisethatmanyblackgirlsdonot
seesexistoppressionascentralto
theirdailylives.Thistypeof
oppressionexistsandisprevalentin
societytoday.

color.Fearingblackchildren,some
ofushaveeveninternalizedthe
viewthatblackgirlsaretooloud,
disrespectfulandunrulytowork.A
datashowedthatinBoston,Black
girlsare11timesmorelikelytobe
disciplinedthanWhitegirlsand12
timesmorelikelytobesuspended.
InNewYorkCity,Blackgirlswere
10timesmorelikelytobe
disciplinedand10timesmore
likelytobesuspendedthanWhite
girls(Copeland).Thereisnoone
systemthatissolelyatfaultfor
leavingminoritygirlsbythe
wayside,thereport
concludesrather,itisallofthem
(Copeland)."Aspublicconcern
Thedisfiguringimagesand
mountsfortheneedsofmenand
messagesthatyoungblackgirls
boysofcolorthroughinitiatives
consumeareonesontheground
liketheWhiteHousesMy
thatfeministhavenotbeen
BrothersKeeper,wemust
vigilantenoughinchallenging.
challengetheassumptionthatthe
Whenthemediademeansor
livesofgirlsandwomenwhoare
oftenleftoutofthenational
marginalizesrelativelypowerful
conversationarenotalsoatrisk
blackmusiciansandactresses,for

(Prupis).
example,KerryWashington,Viola Wearenowfacedwiththe

Davis,JillScottor,Beyonc,
questionthatasks,ifthereisa
Asablackwoman,Iamwilling
werealloverit,tweetingupa
solutiontothefactthatblack
toempoweranyappropriatecause
femalesarebeingoppressedin
stormabouttheevilsof
thatstrengthensthegroupofblack
respectabilitypolitics.However,I society?Andmysolutionwouldbe females.Iamfortunateenoughto
wouldliketoseethesameenergy education.Themoreeducateda
personisthemoreawaretheyareof havenotexperiencedanysortof
directedataddressingthesexist
oppression,however,Isometimes
others,themoreawaretheyareof
antiblackmiseducationthat
othersthemoretheyseethemselves feeltherestraintsandoppression
occurseverydayinourschools.
andthemorerespecttheyhavefor
thatmyfellowAfricanAmerican
Truthis,whenitcomesdownto
others.ManyAfricanAmerican
femalestendtofeel.This
womenagreeontheurgentneedto
activelymentoring,teachingand
movementcallsforblackwomento
apprenticingblackgirlsinpublic providementoring,leadership,and
cometogetherinordertoelaborate
communitydevelopmentprograms
schools,manyindividualstendto
forblackgirls.Unfortunatelythere thiscause.Ifblackgirlsarecapable
ignoresuchfacts.Whenitcomes arelimitedresourcesandlimited
ofeducatingthemselvesandbeing
tocreatingorliftingupexisting
willtodoso.Inmanyschools,high awareofthefactthattheyarea
feministorwomanist
stakestests,criminalizingdiscipline minoritywithinaminoritythen
programmingforblackgirlsinour policiesandfacultyburnout
changeswillbegintooccur.We
precludesustainedattentiontoand
communitiesthelavishsupport
livewithinthebasisofstereotypes.
andenthusiasmthatfuelsthelatest supportofculturallyresponsive
programsforblackgirlsandgirlsof

Weliveunderimpressionsthat
blackwomenarentmeanttobe
loveinterestsorhighschool
crushes,dynamicleadersbut
rather,theyareseenassassyugly
bigbonedindividuals.Ima
strongblackwomanwhoisugly
dontneednoman,right?Imean,
asevidentinthemedia,itsnotas
thoughIcouldgetaman
regardless.Blackwomenare
impervioustohealthy
relationships,andshouldfear
beingleftforwhitegirls,because
eventuallyourmenwillyearnfor
somethinggreaterthanbrownlips
andbighips.Suchstereotypes
needtobeerasedfromsocietyin
orderforprogressionwiththe
ideologythatblackgirlsmatter.
ItstimeforBlackwomento
acknowledgethatbadthings
happentousanditsnotalways
ourfault.Itstimeforusto
understandthatnoteveryoneis
equippedtomakegoodchoicesall
thetimeandthatthereislife,so
muchlife,aftermakingbad
choices.Itstimeforustoturnto
thisinsidioussystemanddemand
thatitstopbeingsohardonus.
Manyofusarestrong.Manyofus
holddownthechurch,our
families,neighborhoods,schools,
hospitalsandsomanyother
institutions.Manyofusare
successfulandhaveourfinancial
gamesonlock.Manyofusare
healthy,fitandbeautiful.Manyof
uswaitedtohavechildren.Many
ofusaremarriedorinloving,

longtermrelationshipsthatarenot
abusiveordysfunctional.Manyof
usareaccomplishededucators,
artists,writers,scientists,engineers,
doctors,lawyersandsomuchmore.
Wearehereandwematter.

WorksCited

Braswell,Kristin.
"#FergusonFridays:NotAllofthe
BlackFreedomFightersAreMen:
AnInterviewwithBlackWomen
ontheFrontLineinFerguson."
BlackLivesMatter.11Oct.2014.
Copeland,Camden."Study
InvestigatesHighDisciplineRates
amongBlackGirls.thenotebook.
ThePhiladelphiaPublicSchool
Notebook.6Mar.2015.
Griffiths,Karlene,andTamuraA.
Lomax."#FergusonFridays:IfIt
Wasn'tfortheWomen."The
FeministWire.12Sept.2014.Web.
Patin,Nikki."NotAllBlack
Women."TheFeministWire.04
Sept.2014.Web.
Prupis,Nadia."'BlackGirls
Matter':ReportExposesSystemic
OppressionofOftenIgnored
Groups."CommonDreams.5Feb.
2015.Web.13Apr.2015.