How the Plight of Megan Thee Stallion Is That of Black Womanhood in America.
Image Source: Instagram/theestallion
By Kareemah Muhammad
In 1962, El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, better known as Malcolm X said:
“The most disrespected person in America is the black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the black woman. The most neglected person in America is the black woman.”
That statement by one of the world’s most prolific leaders, sadly, still reigns true today. Though much improvement has been made since then, we still have much work to do in protecting, respecting and uplifting Black women in America.
In particular, we see this when it comes to Rapper Megan Thee Stallion, whose music career has catapulted within the past year. Though she has proven through her lyricism, talent, and of course record sales, that her career is ripe and ready to soar, she has faced a lot of mockery after news reports surfaced of her being shot this month.
This includes social media posts from perusers and celebrities, making light of a serious event, which left Megan “hurt and traumatized.” She wrote,
“Black women are so unprotected & we hold so many things in to protect the feeling of others [without] considering our own. It might be funny to y’all on the internet and just another messy topic for you to talk about but this is my real life.”
This blatant lack of concern for the Black woman and her existence is nothing new. In fact, it is a deep-seeded issue that has been woven into the fabric of American culture.
When did this start? During slavery!
In 1787, there was a clause added to the U.S. Constitution that considered Black people as three-fifths of a person, which was designed to enhance southern, congressional representation. Meaning, they simply needed us for votes!
When it came to Black women, there was entirely no agency over their bodies. They were raped, beaten, branded and more, in order to ensure the capitalistic institution of slavery thrived.
Another moment that builds upon this notion was when James Marion Sims, also known as the “Father of Gynecology,” performed involuntary, vaginal experimentations on 11 female slaves from 1846 to 1849. After numerous, gruesome trials on these women without anesthesia, Sims found a treatment for vesicovaginal fistula, which he then used to perform operations for wealthy, White women.
His acclaim within the medical profession came at the expense of those Black women, who were at the will of their slaveholders. Yet, in 2018, his statue was removed from Central Park in New York. Mayor Bill De Blasio made the decision to remove the statue after community advocates brought Sims’ atrocity to the forefront.
The removal of the statue was a tremendous feat that shed light on the horrendous history of the abuse of the 11 Black women. And it set the stage to unveil current plights that Black women face today.
In the U.S. alone, there are approximately 64,000 to 75,000 Black women and girls currently missing. And like the 11 Black women before them, they have become merely an afterthought.
You see this with the media coverage, or lack thereof, of Black women and girls. When they go missing, the media often categorizes them as runaways. Thereby, in many cases, stifling searches that can lead to their safe return. This heightens the risk that they will become victims of sex trafficking and abductions without return.
What we face now is the system failing to protect us, leaving us to be sold into modern-day slavery.
We also see this with the cases of Breonna Taylor, Sandra Bland and countless others, whose names have gone unsaid. We now have an even greater obligation to raise our voices for those who have been silenced or disregarded.
We must also hold our community and the society at large accountable for any degradation of Black women. Like Megan Thee Stallion said on Monday as she held back tears in her Instagram Live video,
“What if your motherf------ sister got shot? What if you What if your motherf------ girlfriend got shot? What if you motherf------ best friend got shot? Would you be cracking jokes then?"
There is no room for us to perpetuate the same system of gain at the detriment of our Black mothers, sisters and daughters.
We say no more to using our bodies for accolades, likes, shares and fame. Our suffrage will no longer be used for anyone’s gain!
Let us keep the momentum going and lift Megan and our entire sisterhood in love.