Dear White Women: Black Women Are Taking Our Moment
It took T minus one day.
I was scrolling through the myriads of Facebook groups when I saw a post of VP elect KH speaking to her little grand niece, telling her she can be President. The person who posted it, who was a Black woman, stated “all little Black girls now know anything is possible”. In the comments a white woman said “it should be ALL girls”.
And here we are again in the debate of “all” vs. Black.
The comment ignored the reality that representation matters. While women have come far in this country, white women have done better. Racism prevented Black women from getting the same head start. White women received the right to vote before Black women - with some white suffragettes fighting to prevent our forefathers from voting before them. There have been four white women on the Supreme Court; there has yet to be a Black woman. White women are paid more at work and are less likely to die in childbirth. There are nine white female governors in this country; we have yet to have a Black female governor. The closest in recent history, Stacy Abrams was robbed of her win via voter suppression in GA. Despite this painful loss, she still tirelessly organized voters to lead Georgia to resoundingly swing for Biden/Harris. Meanwhile, 55% of white women still voted for the person who would like nothing more than to make this country a version of the Handmaid’s Tale.
Photo courtesy of Meena Harris
It’s a different feeling when you have been left (or pushed) out of the conversation for centuries, and you finally see yourself in a position of power. The same way white women celebrated when Hillary Clinton became the Dem pres nominee is the same way Black women are feeling today with seeing a Black Woman as VP.
Think of it this way. A television station in Ireland ended its broadcast by talking about how Joe Biden is a proud Irish American, with his reading of a poem by Seamus Heaney. He is only the second person of Irish descent to be in the White House (the first being John F. Kennedy). I fully expect celebrations and pride by our Irish friends on both sides of the Atlantic - and rightfully so. I would never state to an Irish person who expressed pride over this accomplishment “this is for ALL of us, not just you”. While true, it’s insulting. I’m pretty sure the Facebook poster and others who feel like she does didn’t post similar comments on an Irish person’s page. There is nothing wrong with celebrating accomplishments of people who you identify with through culture, ethnicity, gender alma mater or otherwise - as long as you are not treating other people badly.
The “all” narrative has been a battle as we discuss criminal justice reform and Black Lives Matter. To put it simply - it’s like showing up to a breast cancer fundraiser and saying “but all cancers matter”. Yes they do - but the discussion right now is about breast cancer. So have a seat.
This is part of that casual racism that ignores history. Comments like these are a daily reminder of how much work there is to do in this country. Racism exists in both parties, and addressing it is way overdue.
All is great when all people are actually included intentionally as well as consistently.
Until that happens, Black women are taking our moment.
Melba Pearson is an attorney, author, and wife living in Miami via NYC. Follow her on Twitter @ResLegalDiva.
