Racism is a Hell of a Drug: Black Woman Reflection on #Election2020
Being a Black Woman in America, I am not surprised by its ongoing investment in my oppression.
My ancestors were brought here with the goal of them existing as chattel, with no agency and their bodies not belonging to them.
This country continued its storied history of oppression of Black women from the Father of Gynecology performing surgical procedures on us without anesthesia, to our forced sterilization, to the mislabeling us as the example of a “Welfare Queen”
to push for limited access to a financial system that owed us reparations in the first damn place.
My expectations have never been that this country would treat me well.
I am a firm believer in patterns of behavior — -and it has been clear that this country does not love or value Black Women.
Yet, there has remained a part of me that has held onto hope. That there will be a breaking point when this country recognizes the contributions of Black Women and will give us our due.
Sadly, that moment is not now.
With the ongoing battle over the presidency in this 2020 election, it has become clear that it is never about the economy (which has crashed) or progress (with over 200,000 deaths due to mismanagement of the COVID pandemic),
it has always been about racism
About Whiteness.
The maintaining of Whiteness as the ideal.
The centering of Whiteness
The allowing of success in the face of mediocrity — simply because one possesses
Whiteness
The hope that adjacency to Whiteness will somehow prove beneficial
As Candice Benbow stated in a recent Facebook post “The fact this race is this close tells us all how devoted White people are to being White.”
And even within this, examining the fact that this time, after the excuses of the economy and safety were taken away, even more White women voted for Trump
It is in this that exists our refusal to simply prioritize gender — -because we simply align with those who share our gender
when you consistently show that you do not value our race
Or even the ongoing numbers of Hispanics who supported the upholding of White supremacy, which is why, there are times when Black women insist on identifying an issue within their intersection of Black and Woman,
and do not permit the use of
Women of Color
Because even membership in that larger group can quietly call for the marginalization of Black women
My heart hurts
And I own that
And I continue to fight and support those who fight everyday to insist that this country give us our everything that we are owed
Because we will not let this country simply take what belongs to us
As we hear the dismissive comments about “leaving” the country that our ancestors literally BUILT because it continues to choose to not acknowledge our humanity,
We recognize that it is steeped in hypocrisy because the oppression of my people is what made this country possible
for the very ones who seek our exit
Regardless of the outcome of this election
America has told us that giving up on all of its faux morality, its wealth, and its physical health is worth it
As long as forced white supremacy remains
We hear you loud and clear
And we will not forget
#Election2020 #BlackWomenLead #IntersectionalAF #WhiteSupremacy
Dr. Dent is a licensed psychologist. Her hardest job is being a Black Woman who centers the experiences of Black women and girls. She continues to fight for Black women. Her post contains a FB post from Candice Benbow, and she strongly encourages others to #FollowThatBlackWoman