April 23, 2012

Who Will Revere Us? (Black LGTBQ People, Straight Women, and Girls)

(Part 1) by Aishah Shahidah Simmons for The Feminist Wire

“The title of this four-part article is a metaphorical nod to the legendary jazz singer, songwriter, actor, and activistAbbey Lincoln (also known as Aminata Moseka) whose essay, “Who Will Revere The Black Woman?” is featured in the ground-breaking anthology The Black Woman. Edited by Black feminist author, screenwriter, and visionary activist Toni Cade Bambara, this all-Black woman anthology focused on the issues most pertinent to Black women and ourcommunities. Originally published in 1970 and reissued in 2005 with a forward by Dr. Eleanor W. Traylor, The Black Woman was the literary wo/manifestation of the impact of the intersection of the Civil Rights/Black Power movements and the second wave of the Women’s Rights movement on Black women’s lives. In short, Ms. Lincoln’s ageless essay is a demand for justice and protection for Black women…

…I am struggling to find the right time to discuss inter and intra-racial gender-based violence in the midst of the justified outrage about the rampant and virulent racialized violence perpetrated against straight Black boys and men.  Even with this being Sexual Assault Awareness Month, now doesn’t feel like the best time to write about the gender-based and state-sanctioned violence perpetuated against Black straight women, girls, and LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer) people both inside of and outside of our racial/cultural communities. I fear that sharing what’s on my heart and mind, might be construed as my taking away from the “real” issue at hand in most Black communities, which seems to be solely white supremacist and/or state-sanctioned racist violence against straight Black men and boys.

     Audre Lorde’s writings remind me, however, that discussions on oppression within Black communities should never be taken up within an either/or frame.  The diverse herstories/histories and contemporary realities of Black straight women, girls, and LGBTQ people have consistently revealed that the issues that directly impact us often take a back seat, if they even make it into the metaphorical car on the freedom and liberation highway…”

READ PART ONE of this FOUR-PART ARTICLE IN ITS ENTIRETY on The Feminist Wire http://thefeministwire.com/2012/04/who-will-revere-us-black-lgtbq-people-straight-women-and-girls-part-1/

Parts two through four will be published, Tuesday, April 24, 2012 through Thursday, April 26, 2012

9:55am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZrRgJyKACB-k
(Notes: 15)
  
Filed under: Abbey Lincoln Toni Cade Bambara Audre Lorde Black LGBTQ people Black women sexual assault awareness month The Feminist Wire Racism Sexism Aishah Shahidah SImmons 
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