*I drafted this back in May 2020 but didn’t post it until recently
This season has been tumultuous, to say the least, but these last few months have struck a chord in me as a Black woman. As if the pandemic and world tensions weren’t worrisome enough, evidence of structural prejudice again reared its head. The sad part is it’s the same story that’s been told for as long as I can remember, but what’s different now is that we can see it for ourselves with the help of smartphone cameras and social media. The cameras have been used to record milestones, artists and art, and community and social media was the perfect forum to share it; however, I do wonder if the creators of the cameras and platforms ever imagined that their products would be used to capture and display death or the dying. Millions of Americans and people worldwide had the experience of watching George Floyd’s death in HD on social media. Hearing George Floyd’s cry made my stomach drop, and when it got too much for me, I walked away and took a deep breath. But taking that deep breath made me feel heavy and guilty because I realized that’s all George wanted at that moment…he just wanted to be freed, and he wanted to breathe.
Black people have been subjected to traumatizing media involving Black bodies since we learned about slavery in the Americas in history class. From images of the puckered scars on the backs of the enslaved and artist renditions of slave ships and auction blocks to images of lynchings and bombings. Now we have a new way of displaying our dehumanization via video. Thanks to this technology, millions of Black people have not only witnessed the impending death of George Floyd but also watched Ahmaud Arberry being hunted, Alton Sterling struggling and dying, Eric Garner’s suffering, Philandro Castro’s labored last moments, and Sandra Bland’s mistreatment. If these are the events that were caught on camera, can you imagine the events that weren’t recorded? And of the events that have been recorded, why are we so quick to dismiss them as not worth our time? I’m talking about the dismissal of individuals who died at the hands of police because they had a record (George Floyd, Jamale Floyd, and Bennie Lee Tignor) because they didn’t comply to directives (Michael Brown, Terrence Crutcher, and Ronell Foster) and the fact that some names were barely pushed at all (Jessica Williams, Janet Wilson, Mitrice Richardson, Dominique Clayton, and Willie McCoy). It should stand as a fact that no one should die like this, no matter what they’ve done, there are court systems for a reason. So why do we pick and choose who’s worth fighting for? Though part of the issue may be an overwhelming number of incidents that some get lost in the shuffle, but the rest seems to boil down to Respectability Politics.
Respectability politics dissociates stereotypes and “bad” aspects attached to the community and runs deep in the Black Community. It’s been pressed on many of us that as long as we carry ourselves “respectfully,” look “presentable” (i.e., no streetwear), speak a certain way (“educated”), the public will perceive you as less threatening, and nothing bad will happen to you. Regretfully, Donisha Prendergast, Reggie Fields, Lolade Siyonbola, Vicktor Stevenson, D’Arreion Toles, and many more are living witnesses to that not being the case. The “presentability” of respectability politics doesn’t just stop at our clothing; it also extends to our hair. Back in the day, the Tignon Laws passed Down South ensured that free women of color would cover their hair in public (for more on that read up on the law). I’m guessing you’re about to say, “Well, that was then! Things are different now!” I’d kindly like to point out how wrong you are. We no longer have to cover our hair in public (we sometimes get shamed for that), but now we can’t WEAR our natural hair, particularly in corporate spaces. Black people can’t even wear the hair the Creator DESIGNED us with because it’s considered unpresentable, distracting, or radical! Don’t believe me? After giving a college presentation, my peers gave me feedback about how I did, and at least three people mentioned that they found my loose braids too distracting to focus on my presentation. Some years later, I interviewed for a seasonal job, and the interviewer informed me that my hair was out of compliance, but if I promised to straighten it, I’d have the job. “Okay, I get it,” you say. “But that’s only you!” Actually, it’s not just me. Let’s ask Clinton Stanley Jr., Faith Fennedy, Tyrielle Davis, any U.S. Army personnel between 2014-2017, Andrew Johnson, Kaden Bradford, or the students in Pretoria High School in South Africa about this phenomenon. Some of you may be going, “whew, that’s a lot.” If you think that’s a lot, wait until I get to how sexuality and gender fit into it.
Right now, I imagine some of you saying, “But I thought this was a Christian blog!” I’m a Christian, and this blog is a means for me to talk about things I’ve learned on my Christian walk. One of the things I’m learning is that everyone deserves justice. Micah 6:8 says, “He has shown you, O man, what is good. What does Yahweh require of you, but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (WEB). This scripture affirms my belief that justice should be extended to everyone and that I love them as I love myself. I want justice for me, and if I am to love my neighbor as myself, I extend and stand up for justice to other communities as well. Now, back to the regularly scheduled program.
Being cisgendered and heterosexual is the peak of respectability politics, whether we want to acknowledge it or not. Though influential Black civil rights activists such as Lorraine Hanberry, Bayard Rustin, and Audre Lorde were LGBTQA+, that part of their identity was often swept under the rug, if not erased. No matter where these individuals lie on the sexuality and gender spectrum, they were Black and were treated as such by the public. However, the queerness of these individuals gave the government extra ammunition to belittle them. James Baldwin’s work and (presumed) sexuality was placed in an internal memo by the FBI, where Baldwin is often mentioned to be a pervert. The fact that sexuality and Blackness were major themes in his work was used as justification to keep surveillance on him. Rustin’s sexuality was also used as ammunition by the FBI and a U.S. Representative to stop him from organizing a march with the organization called Southern Christian Leadership Conference. In case you were wondering, the ammunition was Rustin’s (public) arrest record of sodomy and a picture of Rustin talking to Martin Luther King, Jr. while the latter was bathing (trying to imply a relationship between the two men, which both men denied). What does that have to do with what’s happening in the Black Lives Movement? According to the 2012 National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs report, “Of survivors reporting violence to the police, 48% reported incidents of police misconduct, a considerable increase from 2011 (32%). Of those survivors who interacted with the police, 26.8% reported that the police attitudes were hostile, an 18% increase from 2011 (32%). Additionally, reports of police violence and misconduct mirrored the larger trend of the disproportionate targeting of people of color and transgender people”(“National Report on Hate Violence Against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and HIV-Affected Communities,” 2013, p. 2). Don’t even get me started on the rate Trans women of color are murdered in general. This. Is. A PROBLEM.
If I type any more, I’ll keep going and going. You’ve all heard and read this before; what I wrote is a drop in the ocean of articles and thought pieces. We’re tired, and many are exhausting themselves operating in multiple spheres of consciousness trying to tackle interracial and intraracial complexities (like one isn’t already draining)! Whether you’re focusing on one of the issues mentioned above or you’re only focusing on one, protect your mental health. Engage in self-care, pray, and meditate. There are many issues for us to work out as a nation, and it’s going to take a lot of work to fix. Keep in mind there’s a time for work and a time for rest. Stop pouring from an empty vessel. Just because you take a break to gather yourself doesn’t make you a traitor to the cause; it makes you wise. Take care of your mental health, then rage against the machine!
Sources
National Report on Hate Violence Against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and HIV-Affected Communities. (2013, June 4). Retrieved June 16, 2020, from https://avp.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/2012_NCAVP_HVReport_MR.pdf
Resources
https://www.self.com/story/black-mental-health-resources
https://namiphilly.org/nami-other-support-resources.html
https://www.wellandgood.com/self-care-communities-for-black-women/amp/
