“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.” -Who Taught You to Hate Yourself by Malcom X Deeply rooted in our nation's history, black women continue to be portrayed as less than in comparison to other minority women and even black male counterparts. They are continuously subjected to racial stereotypes that continue to dictate and justify how society treats them as a whole. Stereotypes about Black women still dominant in state policy today. Thought to be aggressive, hostile, bad-tempered, the ‘angry black woman’ leaves racial discrimination and negative connotations pitted against black women as a probable cause when it comes to police brutality. Though Black killings at the hands of police are now receiving national media attention, as a result of the #BlackLivesMatter movement does not give light to the black women that lose their lives. They rarely consume media attention in the way that the killing of Black men and boys receive (not to say that coverage of the killing of men and boys is any less important). According to The Violent State: Black Women's Invisible Struggle Against Police Violence, “There was no database the authors could access to identify Black women killed or brutalized by the police. The project [#sayhername] relied on the families of the women killed and their own researchers to compile the women’s stories.” Cases of Black women so rarely make the news. Much like Breonna Taylor, 26-year old EMT who was killed by police who stormed into her home while searching for a suspect who was already in police custody. Nearly two months ago this incident occurred and is only now receiving national attention and a call for justice.
There is a long-standing problem with media coverage, or the lack thereof, of crimes committed against Black women. Although black women regularly face the same brutality as black men at the hands of police, their stories rarely ever reach the surface. The belief that black women are labeled the aggressors leaves killing them justifiable. Black women are murdered by the police. They are assaulted and injured by the police They are arrested unlawfully by the police They are tried, convicted and incarcerated for defending themselves against non police violence Many of these cases go unheard of and the time is now to bring light to their untold stories.
1 Comment
11/1/2020 10:05:32 pm
This is the bitter reality that the minorities are suffering from high trauma in USA. Police brutality has been increasing for the few weeks. Numerous cases have been reported of brutality against blacks. I wish the BLM movement will bring some positive impacts of this brutality.
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