Confessions of A Former Black Male Apologist

For the last 10 days, this blog has been silent. Besides being consumed with work and school, I just couldn't find the words to write what I have been feeling. All writers and bloggers know that sometimes we suffer from "writers's block". Thanks to Professor Tracey @ auntjeminasrevenge for this post that jolted me out of my silence.

It all started with Yvette Cade. I was watching Nancy Grace and she flashed her face on the t.v. A before and after. The after picture horrified me. Yvette's estranged husband had set her on fire while she was at work. I watched the video. It was a horrific attack to say the least. The sister had 3rd degree burns on over 65% of her body. After seeing this story, I couldn't sleep soundly for weeks. I would toss and turn and wake up in the middle of the night with visions of burned bodies and violent attackers in my head. I tried to understand why someone would do this to another human being.

It's not like it was the first time I had heard of a black woman being attacked by her husband or boyfriend. It's not like it was the first time that I had seen bruises or black eyes on a woman. It was the savageness of it all. What possesses a man to rape, kill, beat,burn, or strangle a woman that he supposedly loves? After Yvette Cade, this question reverberated in my mind as the names of innocent victims began to pile up before my very eyes. I was at a loss for words. It seemed like every time I turned around another black woman was dying. Latasha Norman, Stepha Henry, Nailah Franklin, the list goes on and on.

The only thing that horrifies me more than the kidnapping, murder, rape, and torture of my sisters is the silence that follows. Silence from the community at large, silence from the self-appointed "leaders" of black people, silence from the organizations that claim to fight for our interests, silence from black men who claim to be decent, and silence from other black women who have been crippled into believing that the black man's interests are more important than their own. I have been thinking these thoughts for quite some time, but the events of Tuesday jolted me out of my "loss for words". Al Sharpton decided to go to West Palm Beach, FL and defend the rapists in the Dunbar Village case after refusing for months to speak out in defense of the woman and her son who were brutally attacked. About a month ago, Sharpton was supposed to make an appearance at a press conference that was organized by Dunbar Village resident Citoya Greenwood and others in an effort to improve conditions for residents in this housing complex. He was also supposed to make a statement supporting the victims of the rape and torture that took place there. Well, he bailed at the last minute like the coward he is. Now he decides to go to Florida and defend the rapists. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I was floored to say the least.

I don't know if he realizes it, but Al Sharpton's actions have caused me to pledge my full allegiance to the black women's movement. For, I must confess that in the beginning I had my doubts. I didn't know if it was in the black community's interests to have a movement that focused solely on the interests of black women with the exclusion of the brothers. What I didn't realize is that in the past, when black women thought that they were fighting for the interests of the entire community, they were really fighting for the interests of black men. Because when it came time to speak on behalf of black women, black male leaders were then and still are silent. I refuse to kneel at the foot of black male supremacy. I refuse to believe that a black man has my best interests at heart simply because he is supposed to be my "natural ally". I don't mind coming to the table together as long as we both bring something. No longer is it acceptable for black women to do all of the drudge work that actually sustains organizations through the years and let male leaders take all the credit. No longer is it acceptable to support leaders, male or female, who don't speak out forcefully on behalf of black women. No longer is it acceptable to support mainstream national organisations like the NAACP and the National Action Network that refuse to advocate as forcefully for black female victims of violent crimes as they do for black male defendants. No longer is it acceptable to be necessary but secondary.

I pledge today to use this blog and any other resource that I have to advance the Black Female Agenda. It is not acceptable to pledge your lukewarm support for black women. Either you're with us or you're not. I'm not saying that you have to agree on every issue because I don't ever advocate following behind any person or movement blindly, but we must all agree that the black woman and child is of supreme importance and must be salvaged at all costs.