Election 2022, The Firing of Tiffany Cross, and The Need to Build a Table for Black Women

This election cycle and other recent events continue to make it clear that the world does not value Black women. True, it loves our aesthetic — -as long as it not housed in our Black bodies.

It values our political acumen, when we are not the recipients of the political capital it generates

It wants our voices, when they speak the words in ways that are easy to digest for them, and do not result in any feelings of guilt or a requirement to do better

During the last few weeks, we have watched as Black women repeatedly are not given their due, but have instead suffered the consequences of existing in a society that will consistently take from them with no expectation of reciprocity.

Black women have always shown up.

This is our greatest strength but also our downfall.

In pragmatically showing up because we know that any harm that happens in society will impact us the most, we have also contributed to political, movement, and employment spaces not feeling compelled to do anything that benefits us. At a maximum, each of these entities will give lip service to how instrumental we are to their successes, without ensuring that we are successful in them.

We all saw how the Democratic Party celebrated Stacey Abrams and other Black women-led movements when they “delivered” Georgia in 2020. And yet, those same voices failed to energetically push to support and cultivate Black women in politics before or after that.

As Black Women, we are hurt, but not surprised at Stacey Abrams’ loss in the 2022 gubernatorial race. At the same time, we see the irony in two Black men now battling for a Senate seat in the same state.

Knowing that it was again the work of Black women who made such a contest possible — -and that again, someone else will profit the most from our work. In a speech cited by GPB news, it was noted that in a crowd of voters, Abrams told them “If Black men vote for me, I will win Georgia.”

Never should we have to encourage the same group of people who insist that Black women prioritize race over everything to actually stand in solidarity with us. Yet, we are keenly aware that those who gain the most from our work challenging of racial injustices are not us.

The devaluation of us is not only within the political arena. We see Black women who are “welcomed” into spaces and are held up as an example of an organization’s desire to be more inclusive, and to amplify diverse voices. But in the moments when we truly use our voices, we are reminded that the expectation was a ventriloquist act in which our mouths were to parrot messages from others, but that would allow these others to feel good about aligning themselves with Black Women Thought.

When we face the backlash of using our voices as Tiffany Cross did on MSNBC, we also see who then speaks up for us (Joy Reid) and who remains silent (Rebecca Maddow).

We have us, when no one else does.

And sadly, daily, we are reminded that

No one else does.

Even earlier this year with the repeal of Roe vs Wade, we dealt with White women bemoaning the possibility of A Handmaid’s Tale becoming a reality — — seemingly unwilling to acknowledge that the idea of chattel slavery and not having bodily autonomy is the lived experience/history of Black women in this country

They railed against “ending up here”, while minimizing the fact that over half of their own voted for those who got us here — -because they valued whiteness over everything else

What we are experiencing is not new for Black women. It has been our reality. We grapple to find the word to truly describe what we should feel

Because disappointment implies that we expected something different

Frustrated indicates that we had faith that others would require that systems and movements must value us

Instead, if we are not already, we should be steeped in anger because we know we deserve so much more than the crumbs that others suggest should be our full meal and curb our hunger for justice

And as always, we are rooted in our determination to fight for what we know is not just a place at the table, but the full construction of a table, room, building that our labor has already paid for

If no one else erects it for us

We will assemble it for ourselves, our daughters, our sisters

And may they all feel welcomed to come

#StaceyAbrams #TiffanyCross #BlackWomen #RighteousAnger #DrTyffani #CenteringSisters

Dr. Tyffani is a licensed psychologist who centers the needs of Black Women and Girls in her work. She continues to vote in every election with a mission of #ElectingBlackWomen. She believes that Tiffany Cross’s voice is powerful and needs to be heard. She owns her anger and determination and wants all Black women to do the same. Dr. Tyffani is the co-founder of Centering Sisters and co-hosts its podcast. Subscribe to the Centering Sisters podcast on Youtube. Like both the Centering Sisters and the Dr. Tyffani Facebook pages