Are black women the new face of activism and fight against police brutality?
By: Jessica Uchechi Nwanguma
Tags: Blackwoman, Police Brutality, Activism, Nigeria

Are black women the new face of activism and fight against police brutality?

Even when issues that directly concern us are often ignored?

After the murder of George Floyd by trigger happy police officers, there was massive outrage.

People from all over the world spoke against the wickedness meted out on this innocent young man whose life was cut short for no reason at all, as we all know: more men than women have been killed by trigger happy police officers in America and every part of the world, but guess the photos that broke the internet?

Well, here they are;

There were numerous male protesters, but why did the photos of a black female child and black women excite the world?

Oh! The 'wonderful praises' and heroine worship of black women during every anti-racist and anti-police brutality protest, after which the whole world moves on.

The moment we women open our mouths to talk about our challenges, everyone becomes irritated and fill their ears up with cotton wool. How convenient!

When Oluwatoyin Salau, a black woman, an activist and a protester was raped and murdered by a black man during the same George Floyd protest, it didn't make the world notice the challenges faced by women in society. They eulogized her and called her a 'strong black woman' that's all Next!

Just recently lots of Nigerians took to the streets to protest against the extrajudicial killings of innocent people by the notorious SARS unit of the Nigerian Police, there were tens to hundreds of reports from numerous people, accusing the members of the SARS of different crimes ranging from murder to rape, harassment, torture, extortion etc.

They carried out these dastardly acts in the name of sanitizing the country; arresting young people for reasons like having dreadlocks, wearing ripped jeans, owning laptops and expensive phones etc.

The members of the SARs unit called people found in possession of laptops 'Yahoo' boys which is a common name in Nigeria for internet fraudsters.

More men have been killed by the SARS, but guess which photo broke the Internet.

Well worry no more, here it is.

This is Aisha Yesuf, a Nigerian activist and

Bring back our girls' (BBOG) Covener.

Women especially black women will run to defend and speak for everyone, why won't we? We are empathetic, we are passionate and we have male family members, we have or will have children. But when it comes to issues that concern us, everyone becomes mute.

I guess Police brutality and Racism are serious issues because it affects everyone and violence against women isn't very serious because it affects just one gender, hmm very good reason!

In Nigeria, women are raped every day at an alarming rate but only 65 people have been convicted of rape from 1973 to 2019

( according to ICIR NIGERIA), yet the government claims to be doing a 'lot' for women and young girls.

Lecturers in Nigerian universities have turned young girls into their sex slaves, the government knows about this, the school authority and the entire society know about this, yet no outrage.

'She wanted it, if she didn't she would have said no'

That's the kind of insensitive comments you hear each time issues like this are brought up.

As I speak, Boko haram has in their custody, young teenage girls whom they have turned into sex slaves and baby-making machines, yet the government says they are on it.

In 21st-century adult men still take girls as young as 12 as their wives, our government and the society at large watches, no outrage, when women talk about these issues or take to the street, you will hardly see any man with them, not even one!

Last year, some women were raped by police officers in Abuja, Nigeria's state capital, nothing was done to these officers and the rape was justified by many Nigerians who referred to the rape victims as prostitutes, the same Police killed a young man, then all of a sudden there is an outrage??

Ok, I get it,

"Rape isn't very serious"

Yea, that's true.

"There is nothing wrong with an 18-year-old girl getting married even if her husband is 15 or 100 years her senior, it's not that bad: after all, she's an adult," they say.

But the same people will advise an 18-year-old boy to avoid any "burden or commitment" so that he can focus on his future?

Isn't this hypocrisy?

Call me traditional or archaic but I firmly believe that it's not fully in the place of a woman to protest, I mean right there in the protest ground, women are far more vulnerable than their male counterparts.

To even imagine that people bring kids to protest grounds. Wow!

There is nothing right about a parent bringing their children to a protest ground, you may say that they are also fighting for their future, but why should children be made to 'fight' when we adults are still alive?

What if they were hit by a stray bullet or inhaled dangerous gases, you and I know the danger these things pose to adults, now imagine what it can do to a child.

Next time you want women to lead a protest ask yourself if you would the same for them if beckoned upon.

I also want to use this medium to implore on black women to reject stupid titles like,

'boss lady'

'strong black woman'

And every other nonsensical gibberish we have coined or they have coined to make us feel better than others.

I am yet to see or hear men call themselves

'strong black men', '

strong white men',

boss men etc

These names only help them heap unnecessary burden on you, it will also make it very difficult or impossible for you to talk about your pain, fear or anger because you are expected to be 'strong'

Jessica Uchechi Nwanguma

Jul 10 1

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