Ok, I needed my moment of comedy above before I tackled this post. As I was reading Aimee’s excellent article about Race and Gender, the usual suspects came out of the cyber-woodwork to challenge why BW need to advocate for themselves. I get soooooo tired of watching BW having to defend our right to be unapologetically interested in advancing our own agenda---however WE define it. Why is it that for BW to organize in any fashion with one another we have to explain why we’re doing so is legitimate? When other “groups” mobilize and set their agendas, why aren’t they questioned as to the validity of said agendas? Does anyone dare question the validity of organized groups within the Jewish community for example? Why should the importance of their agendas be more sacred than that of BW?
When a BW’s child is missing, I believe it’s less relevant to the population in general than that of a WW’s child. Perhaps we need our own "________ "’s Law. Does that count as a valid item to put on the BW’s agenda? Why does anyone have the right to denounce it if BW decided that it is an item we should have on our agenda. Does that imply that we don’t care about missing non-black children…NO. What it does mean, to me, is that I care about missing black children enough to make sure their names & faces make it to the airwaves EQUALLY as much as that of ALL other missing children. Why is that so hard to understand?
If the BW’s agenda includes how we are portrayed in the media, our healthcare, etc, Why is that so taboo? BW have been at the back of the everything bus for too long..just waiting for someone to value OUR problems as equal to that of other groups. We’re still waiting….but some of us are tired of waiting and want to DO something. However, let us start talking about just forming an agenda (not the actual “doing”) and you get folks stumbling up in the discussion crying “we are the world.” **** that….and yes, the word starts with an “F.”
As CW says, “The Time is Now”---whoever wants to ride with us is welcome and whoever has a problem with BW being “selfish” for the sake of our survival, thriving and happiness can check Johnny Cash on the left side-bar. We don’t OWE anyone a justification for our RIGHT to advocate for ourselves independently of any other “group.”
When a BW’s child is missing, I believe it’s less relevant to the population in general than that of a WW’s child. Perhaps we need our own "________ "
If the BW’s agenda includes how we are portrayed in the media, our healthcare, etc, Why is that so taboo? BW have been at the back of the everything bus for too long..just waiting for someone to value OUR problems as equal to that of other groups. We’re still waiting….but some of us are tired of waiting and want to DO something. However, let us start talking about just forming an agenda (not the actual “doing”) and you get folks stumbling up in the discussion crying “we are the world.” **** that….and yes, the word starts with an “F.”
As CW says, “The Time is Now”---whoever wants to ride with us is welcome and whoever has a problem with BW being “selfish” for the sake of our survival, thriving and happiness can check Johnny Cash on the left side-bar. We don’t OWE anyone a justification for our RIGHT to advocate for ourselves independently of any other “group.”
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