I'm not a big fan of Dave Chappelle. I don't enjoy it when entertainers throw around the n word like its nothing. I know better. I know it represents and perpetuates dehumanization and oppression against my people, so I don't listen or watch him often, but the analysis he gave recently on European (White) women is right on target. When relaying his experience with a white woman heckler, Chappelle shared that when the woman shouted that they were both victims of oppression, he responded by telling the woman that she couldn't compare the suffering of women with that of African people. His words were "you were in on the heist. You just didn't like your cut!"
Now, I have a number of White women I know and have known over the years and many of them, Marilyn Buck leading the way, have been some of the best examples of humanity at every turn. Those white women who struggle for justice with integrity (those I know and don't know) should have no difficulty understanding the correctness of my words here. The masses of white women continue to side with white supremacy and capitalism against the interests of humanity, over and over again.
Chappelle's comment may have been meant as a joke, but there is plenty of truth within it. White women supported the institution of slavery despite the suffering it inflicted against Africa and African people. White women supported the theft of Indigenous lands. White women by and large supported and support the upholding of this backward capitalist system and the white supremacy that serves as this system's chief weapon against the majority of people on the planet. In other words, where are the armies of white women opposed to police terrorism? Where are the masses of white women organizing against mass incarceration? The industrial war complex? And most importantly, where are the masses of white women organizing other white women against those systems of oppression and in respecting the contributions of their sisters from Africa, the Americas, Asia, etc.?
I'm not blind. I see the few white women who try and I respect them for their individual efforts, but while they are trying, their sisters, mothers, aunts, cousins, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and acquaintances are doing every and anything within their power to undermine our existence. And most of the time, the white women who try are ineffective, or unwilling, to even engage their white sisters around their racism. I've had far too many white women admit this to me. Then, there are white woman tears when I challenge them back to not be so weak. African people don't have a choice about struggling against injustice. As an African man, I struggle against patriarchy, homophobia, and all forms of injustice from my people on a daily basis so I have the right to expect the same from white women and everyone else. And the level of disrespect that far too many white women display against African women, Indigenous women, etc., on a daily basis is barbaric.
I see the multitude of posts by African women criticizing white women and calling out African men who defend white women. And these African women have a strong point. The white women being defended are not the Marilyn Buck type. If they were, I know my African sisters well enough to state confidently that there wouldn't be anywhere near the issues we see today. All one has to do is participate with an African family, any African family. Or, you can travel to Africa, anywhere in Africa. And, you will see that our people interact regularly with Europeans - white women - everyday with respect and acceptance for who they are. There is no history of African women lynching or even beating up white women so stop with this utter nonsense that African women are mad and unreasonable as it relates to white women. There is no history of this accusation while there is overwhelming evidence, starting from the slave plantations, to Emmet Till, to Tomi Lauren, of white women castigating African people. I've addressed this topic in my novels. There are online pieces I've read from African women, who clearly didn't read my books by the way, who object to my having a white woman in my stories. Despite them not reading my books, and therefore not understanding my strategy in how I'm writing my stories, I completely understand the anger these sisters display. The onus is 100% on white women to demonstrate they are not our enemy and until that happens, I don't think a single African women (or man) has any obligation to give white women an inch of leeway.
The other element of this is the adding salt to the wound part. You can look all over the world and see where white women have directly benefited from the struggles of African people in our fight for liberation and justice. You can see this in Azania, South Africa, where our anti-apartheid fight has pushed the system there to open its doors to white women. They repay us by standing with white supremacy against our efforts there to redistribute land stolen from African people during colonialism back to its rightful caretakers. In the U.S., no one can argue that white women have emerged from the civil rights and Black Power movements of the 1960s with the most victories. There was no such thing in this country as equity on any level and it was the civil rights movement and the Black Power movement that ushered in this question which led to the women's liberation movement, women's lib, and the blossoming of the white feminist movement. Yet today, all you hear from white feminists is solidarity with capitalism, provided some reforms are provided for white women, while they completely ignore African people and other oppressed brown communities. The reason we don't like seeing the activism that we trained this country on how to use being used by white women to take selfies with police terrorists during "women's" marches because we realize this symbolizes the white women's solidarity with white supremacy.
This article isn't about asking white women for anything. We have our movement today as we always have had our movement. We are moving forward with, or without you. And despite the absurd confusion I've heard from white women over the years ("we are more oppressed then you") I just want to remind them that 51% of African people are women. Or, maybe you are so focused on white women that you forget this fact? Remember Sojourner Truth and her statement: "Ain't I a woman?"
This article is about supporting the righteous anger expressed regularly by African women on this issue. The only concern I have about that anger is far too many of these African women expressing this anger aren't themselves involved in our struggle for liberation. Huey P. Newton was right when he said "no participation, no right to observation." So, sisters, join some organization working for justice because you cannot just complain about a social problem. You must be a part of the struggle to resolve it. Besides that, their anger is completely justified. This article is also about challenging white women to be better. For white women to work with other white women and for white women to listen to your more conscious sisters with integrity who are attempting to get you to develop a more legitimate frame of the world we live in and your roles in it. We are not elitists so we can never accept the notion that any people are not capable of change, but there does come a time when we have to acknowledge that some elements of our population have not demonstrated the right to be respected because they haven't provided that respect themselves. At this stage, in 2018, white women as a collective (our analysis cannot be individual because individuals don't make history, the masses do), have failed miserably and its time for them to correct their dysfunctions.
Finally, for those Africans who may be reading this skeptically, white women getting themselves together has direct benefits for us. One of the biggest challenges to us today are violent white men. White men who are being raised by white women. Imagine if you will a reality where white women mass organized against the white male capitalist dominated agenda of wars for profit, white supremacy, and world domination? What if white women said no more to this? What if that happened? Don't be confused. We are not waiting for that to happen, but wanting it to happen takes nothing away from us and our work and having it happen certainly makes our work that much easier. Do I think that day will ever come where white women collectively are better? Right now, based on the evidence in front of me, I have to say honestly that I don't see that day ever coming, but I would love nothing better than for white women to prove me wrong.
Now, I have a number of White women I know and have known over the years and many of them, Marilyn Buck leading the way, have been some of the best examples of humanity at every turn. Those white women who struggle for justice with integrity (those I know and don't know) should have no difficulty understanding the correctness of my words here. The masses of white women continue to side with white supremacy and capitalism against the interests of humanity, over and over again.
Chappelle's comment may have been meant as a joke, but there is plenty of truth within it. White women supported the institution of slavery despite the suffering it inflicted against Africa and African people. White women supported the theft of Indigenous lands. White women by and large supported and support the upholding of this backward capitalist system and the white supremacy that serves as this system's chief weapon against the majority of people on the planet. In other words, where are the armies of white women opposed to police terrorism? Where are the masses of white women organizing against mass incarceration? The industrial war complex? And most importantly, where are the masses of white women organizing other white women against those systems of oppression and in respecting the contributions of their sisters from Africa, the Americas, Asia, etc.?
I'm not blind. I see the few white women who try and I respect them for their individual efforts, but while they are trying, their sisters, mothers, aunts, cousins, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and acquaintances are doing every and anything within their power to undermine our existence. And most of the time, the white women who try are ineffective, or unwilling, to even engage their white sisters around their racism. I've had far too many white women admit this to me. Then, there are white woman tears when I challenge them back to not be so weak. African people don't have a choice about struggling against injustice. As an African man, I struggle against patriarchy, homophobia, and all forms of injustice from my people on a daily basis so I have the right to expect the same from white women and everyone else. And the level of disrespect that far too many white women display against African women, Indigenous women, etc., on a daily basis is barbaric.
I see the multitude of posts by African women criticizing white women and calling out African men who defend white women. And these African women have a strong point. The white women being defended are not the Marilyn Buck type. If they were, I know my African sisters well enough to state confidently that there wouldn't be anywhere near the issues we see today. All one has to do is participate with an African family, any African family. Or, you can travel to Africa, anywhere in Africa. And, you will see that our people interact regularly with Europeans - white women - everyday with respect and acceptance for who they are. There is no history of African women lynching or even beating up white women so stop with this utter nonsense that African women are mad and unreasonable as it relates to white women. There is no history of this accusation while there is overwhelming evidence, starting from the slave plantations, to Emmet Till, to Tomi Lauren, of white women castigating African people. I've addressed this topic in my novels. There are online pieces I've read from African women, who clearly didn't read my books by the way, who object to my having a white woman in my stories. Despite them not reading my books, and therefore not understanding my strategy in how I'm writing my stories, I completely understand the anger these sisters display. The onus is 100% on white women to demonstrate they are not our enemy and until that happens, I don't think a single African women (or man) has any obligation to give white women an inch of leeway.
The other element of this is the adding salt to the wound part. You can look all over the world and see where white women have directly benefited from the struggles of African people in our fight for liberation and justice. You can see this in Azania, South Africa, where our anti-apartheid fight has pushed the system there to open its doors to white women. They repay us by standing with white supremacy against our efforts there to redistribute land stolen from African people during colonialism back to its rightful caretakers. In the U.S., no one can argue that white women have emerged from the civil rights and Black Power movements of the 1960s with the most victories. There was no such thing in this country as equity on any level and it was the civil rights movement and the Black Power movement that ushered in this question which led to the women's liberation movement, women's lib, and the blossoming of the white feminist movement. Yet today, all you hear from white feminists is solidarity with capitalism, provided some reforms are provided for white women, while they completely ignore African people and other oppressed brown communities. The reason we don't like seeing the activism that we trained this country on how to use being used by white women to take selfies with police terrorists during "women's" marches because we realize this symbolizes the white women's solidarity with white supremacy.
This article isn't about asking white women for anything. We have our movement today as we always have had our movement. We are moving forward with, or without you. And despite the absurd confusion I've heard from white women over the years ("we are more oppressed then you") I just want to remind them that 51% of African people are women. Or, maybe you are so focused on white women that you forget this fact? Remember Sojourner Truth and her statement: "Ain't I a woman?"
This article is about supporting the righteous anger expressed regularly by African women on this issue. The only concern I have about that anger is far too many of these African women expressing this anger aren't themselves involved in our struggle for liberation. Huey P. Newton was right when he said "no participation, no right to observation." So, sisters, join some organization working for justice because you cannot just complain about a social problem. You must be a part of the struggle to resolve it. Besides that, their anger is completely justified. This article is also about challenging white women to be better. For white women to work with other white women and for white women to listen to your more conscious sisters with integrity who are attempting to get you to develop a more legitimate frame of the world we live in and your roles in it. We are not elitists so we can never accept the notion that any people are not capable of change, but there does come a time when we have to acknowledge that some elements of our population have not demonstrated the right to be respected because they haven't provided that respect themselves. At this stage, in 2018, white women as a collective (our analysis cannot be individual because individuals don't make history, the masses do), have failed miserably and its time for them to correct their dysfunctions.
Finally, for those Africans who may be reading this skeptically, white women getting themselves together has direct benefits for us. One of the biggest challenges to us today are violent white men. White men who are being raised by white women. Imagine if you will a reality where white women mass organized against the white male capitalist dominated agenda of wars for profit, white supremacy, and world domination? What if white women said no more to this? What if that happened? Don't be confused. We are not waiting for that to happen, but wanting it to happen takes nothing away from us and our work and having it happen certainly makes our work that much easier. Do I think that day will ever come where white women collectively are better? Right now, based on the evidence in front of me, I have to say honestly that I don't see that day ever coming, but I would love nothing better than for white women to prove me wrong.
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