Moving Forward
By: Jeffrey Rousseau
Tags: Racism, BlackLivesMatter, Equality, Gender Equality

Photo by Leighann Blackwood on Unsplash

After the ruling for Breonna Taylor’s case Black folks in the US and aboard felt the same sadness, rage, and perpetual malaise. Feelings we’ve summoned without end for centuries now. So again, she was denied justice. So again, we have accept more injustice to Black women. How do we move forward? How can they feel safe?

I asked the question of how why should we move forward, but we all know the answer — its tradition. The course of what has happened to her is American tradition. Traditional as baseball, apple pie, How else could you define this? One officer was charged with the bullets that struck the room. Where he was charged for supposedly endangering her white neighbors. He and his fellow murderers were not charged for the life they stole.

There’s a larger component regarding the story of Breonna. What justice is there for Black women? Are Black women safe? Whom protects them? These sentiments have been echoed over and over.

If you’ve been reading, listening, and talking to Black women you’d know the real answers to these questions. I want to be clear before I continue onwards, everything I’m saying has been said at great length by Black women.

The violence that Black femmes, non binary people, Black trans women experience isn’t not the same as a Black man. They are marginalized and harmed in multifaceted ways we can only fathom within society. From their personal relationships, to work, and even their families. These stories and personal accounts can quite literally block out the entire sky.

Photo by Max Bender on Unsplash

Keep in mind her story came to national attention after George Floyd’s murder. And those that lead the movement so her story would reach national attention? Black women.

We unfairly place the burden that Black women must do it all. We’ll still have the audacity to question them and their experiences even if it’s for our benefit. I can’t imagine how tiring it must be to fight racism, sexism, your community and because people refuse to acknowledge you.

For those that forget, the Black Lives Matter movement was started by three Black women. Stop and really think about the significance about this. What is now a global movement and symbol of ongoing anti Blackness across the globe was started by Black women whom were tried of our Black death. They often are behind our most powerful movements.

So why am I mentioning the some of the social pains that Black women experience? This has also been about of the justice denied to Breonna as well. In her death as people spoke on seeking her justice, we’ve seen her become the subject of memes, internet gotchas, and questionable actions demand her killers be arrested. Depending on whom you ask a lot of it was not in good taste. Good intentions or no, her being fully respected isn’t something many felt was being done.

She was flesh, blood, and bone, and she deserves to still be here rather than existing solely in her family’s memories and in snapshots shared across social media. — Evette Dionne

It goes without saying, systems and people fail Black women daily. Again, this is tradition that isn’t been dismantled fast enough. Again, tradition. You’ll recall Malcom X acknowledged that the most disrespected person is the Black woman. He knew that this was a part of the injustice that whiteness wields and uses to keep others under its boot. This hasn’t changed.

Going back to that good old American tradition; whiteness stole a Black life. White supremacy protects the oppression wielded by the police. The dehumanization of Black livelihood grants a wall more rights that a young Black woman.

Yes, keep in that the federal case for Breonna Taylor is still ongoing and we will be seeing if justice will be served. However this is the last opportunity. Will she see it? I certainly hope so with all my heart. I personally can’t be bothered to really believe in systems that don’t recognize us. I’ve had a lifetime to see it time and again.

You may also wonder why haven’t I outright said what we need to do to protect Black women. The answers are quite literally we need to dismantle all the systems of the patriarchy. As well as the racism they can’t go a day without encountering. It’s simple enough for me to say. But it falls upon us to hold others to task. This article is merely a reminder I have more work to do. Hopefully it be a reminder to others.

But I certainly do hope that Breonna’s case is resolved and her murderers are charged. Then subsequently face the law as they should. The main reasons I hope for the right thing is so that Taylor’s spirit can rest and have peace. I also hope that her rightful ruling can also bring hope and peace to Black women everywhere.

However, for now ever single Black woman you know has to the right to ask you: Who is protecting Black women? The have the right to ask this of us and all of society without end.

And we need do our best to protect them while holding ourselves accountable without question.