Rachel Dolezal Might as Well Keep Standing in Her Truth

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I am a huge supporter of passing the CROWN act in every state and US territory. That said,... So why does Rachel Dolezal get side eye for t...




I am a huge supporter of passing the CROWN act in every state and US territory. That said,...

So why does Rachel Dolezal get side eye for this from the same people who have firmly decided that women and girls have no right to question words that we are called or not called:


Mother

Woman

Pregnant woman.

Does Oxfam Handbook Advise Against Using the Words 'Mother' and 'Youth'? (msn.com)

We are told that we are no longer women. We are:

"bleeders"

"menstruators"

"cis"

"vagina havers"

"birthing bodies"

"birthing people"....

because the category of "woman" is now reserved for people who are not females. 

Imagine if one random day, we as Black people were informed that we are not Black ...AND informed that this "update" to language is "inclusive" and should be adhered to for the good of "all".


If we woke up one day and powerfully talented women like Macy Gray and others were not allowed to define womanhood. 

Strange and bizarre, right? People from all backgrounds immediately loved Macy Gray because, like Sinead O'Connor and Tracy Chapman, and others from that fabulous era, she was different in a refreshingly unique way. 

Supporting Women: Tweeted Thoughts Post Bette Midler and Macy Gray Statements on Women's Rights.... | WE Survive Abuse



Who Controls Definitions?

Imagine being told that we as Black people are not allowed to define Blackness. 

We have no say in who is and who is not Black.

Those conversations in our community when BET awards gives awards to white artists. 

Or when a white artist takes home the best artist award for rap/hip hop.

Or when someone who isn't Black gets movie roles for mimicking thick multi-regional AAVE while claiming it is because they "grew up around Black people". 

...or health disparities/medical racism

.... or Black History

... or sickle cell disease

...or Black music/Black art/Black theatre/Black film/Black inventions

.....Black cuisine

....or HBCU's/the Divine 9

All of that. 

 As a Black woman, I can openly and freely express my disdain for this. To be sure, I will be called "racist" by some people. That's part of the package. 

But I can say it and write it publicly.  I can speak my peace as a Black woman. I might be disinvited to speak at an event. I might lose some support. But overall, I will be absolutely fine.

It is not highly likely that a dear "friend or acquaintance" that I have known for a while will accuse me of being "hateful" for speaking up about injustice, unfairness, and inequality around race.

 I have white friends and acquaintances. We've been fine for years. Meanwhile, I have always written, spoken, and taught about the history and current conditions around race relations in the United States of America.

But this month, women were expected to be silent when the month, the day, and the awards, that we finally started to receive every now and then are no longer just for males. 

So as a Black person, I can speak. 

As a woman, I must stfu? Or else?

The truth is, no one of us can be free until everybody is free.

Maya Angelou

love that quote ......



But how am I free, if one part of me is free and not the other part of me? 

If one part of me can define myself for myself, but not the other part of me? (Paraphrasing Audre Lorde)

There is no freedom in someone else being allowed to alter the facts around my existence, at will. 

Who’s Guilty of Appropriation? Only Males Get to Decide | WE Survive Abuse


There is no freedom to be had in any people who share the same identifying characteristics as me being unable to be heard and respected when they ask for respect.  

We can stop pretending that we do not know for certain that girls, women in prison (but for Grace, there go I...and you too,), & athletes are not allowed to request and expect reasonable and fair measures for safety.



Teammates are uneasy changing in locker room with trans UPenn swimmer Lia Thomas (nypost.com)

(UPDATE) We Teach Girls To Say "No", Until: The Brave Girls in Vermont | WE Survive Abuse


Upon Reflection


Why do you think that it is socially acceptable for women and girls to be silenced about our own safety and existence?




What do you think about social and government leaders who tell women that we "can't define womanhood" or have no right to assert our boundaries?



How are Black women and Black girls safer in a world that will not allow us to define ourselves, for ourselves....as Audre Lorde put it best?



How are Black women and Black girls better off in a world that will not allow us to define ourselves, for ourselves?


What about the girls? All girls. How does all of this impact them? What messages are we sending them?



RESPECT

As for Rachel Dolezal, I can't help but respect that she does the work to advance the people that says she is a part of.....as we women tend to do. The work. 

Does it bother me that the voices of those with more solid qualifications are being ignored or silenced? Sometimes, but welcome to the world that we live in. This is not new. 

BUT, I do respect that she continues to take opportunities to stay engaged in doing work to help advance social issues that exclusively help the people she says are 'her people' Black people.   Such as supporting the CROWN Act.  


And, as far as I can tell, she is not:

  • Presenting obstacles to our overall advancement 
  • Making violent threats to Black women 
  • Calling Black people who make other choices about her choices "hateful"
  • Pushing for Black people who critique/challenge her identity or membership in the Black American community to be de-platformed, silenced, de-boosted, disinvited, etc.....
  • Requiring Black women/Black people to redefine our language or definitions to include her.
  • Requiring schools to avail her access to children she has no blood/familial relationship to.



If I am wrong about any of this, I'm open to receiving new information. But from what I see: 

She does her things, she does her work, she lives her life, and lets others have their own opinions.  



Who’s Guilty of Appropriation? Only Males Get to Decide | WE Survive Abuse


Diluting the Boundaries of Women and Girls is Extremely Dangerous | WE Survive Abuse


Gaslighting and Red Flags: Black Women & Girls and Safety | WE Survive Abuse

The Days of Girls | WE Survive Abuse


Your OWN Reflections on Womanhood and Manhood | WE Survive Abuse


Keeping Children Safe in School: Body Safety | WE Survive Abuse


WE Are Women: The Misters' Obsession with Changing Names (audio) | WE Survive Abuse


Self-Care Includes Recognizing the Adult Bullies Around You | WE Survive Abuse


Speak Woman, Speak (audio) | WE Survive Abuse


How 'WE the People' Violate Women in Prison Today | WE Survive Abuse


You Got This: To Brave Women Advocating for Women in Prison | WE Survive Abuse


Women's History: Victories and Setbacks in the War on Women | WE Survive Abuse


Defining Womanhood for Yourself: 4 Questions | WE Survive Abuse


Are You 'Tolerating' More Hate Than You Think? | WE Survive Abuse









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WE Survive Abuse : Rachel Dolezal Might as Well Keep Standing in Her Truth
Rachel Dolezal Might as Well Keep Standing in Her Truth
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