American Media, Can Black women get respect?

 These are the faces of victims of America's campaign against Black women. Quvenzhané Wallis received an Academy Award nomination for her role in Beasts of The Southern Wild. Wallis is a 9 year old, Louisiana native that donned her beautiful dress to walk down the red carpet at the 2013 Academy Awards. The Onion Newspaper twitted "Everyone else seems afraid to say it, but that Quvenzhané Wallis is kind of a cunt, right?#Oscars2013 ". CUNT is the most degrading term imaginable and to use that in reference to an African American child is deplorable. Would The Onion has called Dakota Fanning, a cunt?



The America media has systematically lowered the self esteems of many Black women by presenting images of Whiteness ( blond hair, blue eyes, pale skin) as the only true form of beauty. The images of Black women in/on the media are often negative and the "positive" imagery of Black women is reserved for light skin African American women that can nearly pass for Caucasian. Let's be clear, The Onion's assault on sweet and innocent  Quvenzhané set a precedent! American media could now break and kills the self esteem of young Black girls before they could even bloom, without any form of atonement. The Onion issued a lame and standard apology BUT the damage was already done. The Black community accepted the apology but I did not.

Robin Rihanna Fenty was beaten and assaulted by her boyfriend, Chris Brown. There were speculations by the media that Rihanna may have assaulted Chris first, which lead him to defense himself. The America media desensitizes its' viewers towards degradation and  violence against Black women.  In the case of Rihanna, I read blog post and Facebook statuses where members of the African American community said she needed to be beaten!

The female members of Rutger University basketball team were called "nappy headed hoes" by radio personality Don Imus after they won a championship game. In his defense, Imus stated that rappers use the word and disrespected Black women all the time and NOONE goes after them! He is right!    THINK ABOUT IT- Hip Hop, near its' gangsta rap phase clearly promoted violence and degradation of Black women.

 Can Black women get respect?

We are disappearing from mainstream media and commercials. When we are in mainstream media, we appear in the familiar context of the oversexed Jezebel ( Kerry Washington in Scandal), the unmarried, unloved intellectual (Tamala R. Jones in Castle), loud and ghetto with a PHAT ASS ( Sanaa Lathan in The Cleveland Show) and, the mammy ( Yvette Brown in Community).  We are the butt of jokes by White and Black comedians alike with “ No you didn’t girlfriend” and finger snaps included. 

Historically since slavery,White males has “owned”, “ raped” and disrespected Black women! Now American media wants to demoralize and erase Black women. We need to protest until major network include positive and uplifting images of us!

Wake Up Call: HIV/AIDS Infection Rates Are Skyrocketing Black Women

Black women, we are in a state of despair! HIV/AIDS infection rates for Black women have skyrocketed and are reaching levels similar to sub-Saharan Africa! Research has shown that Black women are heavily engaged in unprotected sex with high risk males.

My beautiful sisters, don't be afraid to say "no" to a man that refuses to wear a condom. You must know your wealth and protect yourself!Slavery has taught Black women that their bodies are property to be owned and used by men.  We have to unlearn negative feelings about our self worth and we have to unlearn that sex=love.If we love ourselves and know our worth, we will see positive changes in our lives! We will be no longer willing to risk our lives for the faux love that comes when a man shares our bed for a night! We will say, " I love myself too much to have unprotected sex."

 The first step to knowing your worth is loving yourself.  I recommend looking in the mirror and saying this   affirmation daily:


I am beautiful. I am worthy of love, respect and praise. My body is my own! I love my hair, my face, my smile, my ancestors and my life's journey! I am a queen! My health and life is important to me! I am strong, secure and fierce!

Black Man DANGEROUS OR Falsely Accused

                The facts in the murder of 13 month old Antonio Santiago are unclear. 

Sherry West's Account of March 21, 2013,  the mother of Antonio Santiago, states that she walked her son in his stroller through their Brunswick, GA neighborhood. She states that she was approached by two African American teens, who tried to rob her at gunpoint. West gave a tearful recount of the incident for local and national media outlets, she stated: 

"He asked me for money and I said I didn't have it.When you have a baby, you spend all your money on babies. They're expensive. And he kept asking and I just said `I don't  have it.' And he said, `Do you want me to kill your baby?' And I said, `No, don't kill my baby!'" She claimed that the teen fired four shots into the ground then fired at her head, grazing her left ear before "The boy proceeded to go around to the stroller and he shot my baby in the face," she said. "And then he just shoved me when I started screaming and he ran down London Street with the little boy." 

I am against violence. I am deeply saddened at the loss of Antonio Santiago. He was a beautiful baby with sparkling eyes, he deserved to live! He deserved to go to pre-school, to graduate high school, drive a car, fall in love, become a father, become a grandfather and so much more. My heart is hurting for his loved ones, for his mother.

PAUSE

The history of Caucasians accusing “phantom” African American male perpetrators of heinous crimes, causes me to question the validity and truthfulness of  any and all accusations against African American males.

CASE & POINT

 Charles Stuart Murdered His Wife and Blamed Phantom African American Perpetrator

Charles Stuart claimed an African American male forced his way into his car, robbed him and his wife before shooting his pregnant wife Carol in the head. Charles suffered minor gunshot wounds to his stomach. Charles called 911 from his car phone and gave an Oscar worthy performance to a  Boston PD dispatcher. 

Charles gave tearful accounts of the incidents and of the African American suspect. Boston police swarmed Black neighborhoods with abusive and racist tactics. An African American suspect was arrested for the crime. It was later revealed Charles murdered his wife and shot himself. 

 Susan Smith Drowned Her Sons BUT Allegedly That An African American Gunman Carjacked Her and Drove Off With Her Sons

Smith was involved in a relationship with a man that did not want or accept her two sons. Susan Smith reported to police on October 25, 1994, she was carjacked by an African American man who drove away with her sons still in the car. She gave tearful accounts of the incident and made dramatic pleas on television  for the return of her children.

Nine days after a high profile investigation and heavy media coverage, she confessed to drowning her sons.

Nun Mary Turcotte Attempted to Cover Up A Sexual Tryst With a Bodega Worker By Accusing A Phantom 6'4, 250 Pound Black Man of Sexual Assault

Nun Mary Turcotte told NYPD detectives that a 6’4, 250 pound Black man choked and sexual assaulted her in Brooklyn. She claims that he drug her through the streets and left her unconscious in a snowbank with her underwear down and her breast exposed.  NYPD issued a sketch of the phantom suspect and pleaded with the community to help catch the rapist.

Turcotte later admitted that she falsified a police report to cover up a sexual tryst with a bodega worker.

Tsui D'adamo, Wife of Bronx NYPD Precinct Commander Falsely Accused TWO Black Males of Assaulting Her after Founding out About Her Husband's Affair With a Fellow NYPD Officer

Tsui D’adamo, wife of NYPD Precinct Commander claimed TWO armed and masked Black men assaulted her outside of her home on Valentine’s Day. Police found inconsistencies in her story and in her level of brusing. Police concluded that Tsui’s bruises were self inflicted after she learned of her husband’s affair with a female NYPD officer. 

 Amanda Knox Falsely Accused African Man of Her Roommate's Murder, Central Park Five, 5 Black Youth Convicted and Later Exonerated For A Crime That They Never Committed,hundreds of Black men exonerated....the list of falsified statement and false convictions for African American males goes on and  on. 

Black men are often the scapegoat!  I am not saying that all Black men are innocent BUT all Black men are not criminals either! The pattern is the same over and same over again.

 American media criminalizes Black Males. Caucasians and non-African Americans watch racist and stereotypic programming then  internalizes and believe the stereotypes of African American males as violent, dangerous etc . A Black man is (falsely) accused and convicted in the media before his trials starts. The police interrogate, arrest, question and batter innocence Black men without probable cause, every DAMN day.  The Constitutional Rights of Black men and women are tread on all the time and nothing is done!

Even when, testimonies are revealed to be false, there is no closure for Black Men or Black America. They are convicted everyday in the streets, on the train, in the workplace, in the club because of the color of their skin. The election of a Biracial president has not stop systematic racism!

I know that two suspects were arrested in the slaying of Baby Santiago. I will not claim their GUILTY or INNOCENCE. I just hope they receive a fair trial. I hope that the accusations are true. I hope that the police arrested the right men since all brothers seem to fit the “description”.

UNPAUSE

I am hoping for justice for baby Santiago.