You’re not supposed to criticize Black Women.
I came to this conclusion after a passionate discussion on X— the slightest hint of scrutiny is an open invitation for cyber attacks.
Speaking the truth is conflated with misogynoir, and a simple retelling of history got me misnamed a Hitlerian Women-Hating Panderer.
But that’s a trauma response.
Denial is a common coping mechanism for those who can’t face reality. There is something incredibly unsettling about scrutinizing Black Women with the same fervor as Black Men; after all, you’re not supposed to do that!
You’re not supposed to criticize Black Women—ever.
I love being a Black Woman. I'm blessed with two amazing Black sisters, a loving Black mother, genuine Black girlfriends, and countless Black Women who have blessed my life with fulfilling friendships.
This is exactly why I tell the truth: true love requires honesty. If I claim to love Black Women, I can’t lie to Black Women. An honest discourse is always the healthiest one, and I’m eager to discuss things that improve the community.
So I was inspired to ask X, “Do Black Women have a responsibility to build the Black community?”
I wanted to know what people thought was their role (if any at all). Conversations about improvement usually center around Black Men, and the onus to fix things is placed on their shoulders.
But I took a step further, because a community is comprised of women and men. While I do believe men have the God-ordained commission to lead, build, and direct their community's future, women are still integral to that process, and uninvolved, apathetic women can severely undermine that goal. Even worse, ill-involved women can completely destroy it!
My question sparked some feedback. Then it quickly snowballed into a debate over whether or not Black Men had sold their people into slavery.
I had to tell the truth—and not everyone was ready for that…
In colonial times, Afrikans fought tooth and nail to resist and destroy chattel slavery. The illegal trafficking of Afrikan populations decimated their economies and traditional way of life, and to this day, many Afrikan countries have not fully recovered.
However, a small class of slave trading collaborators existed, and they used their proximity to native Afrikans to profit from the trade.
Slave traders were most often the children of Black Afrikan Women and White European men. Some Black Women became extremely wealthy by marrying and working with Europeans, and one —Fenda Lawerence— was so rich she went to the Americas and toured plantations during the height of slavery!
Political marriages between Black Women and White Men often provided security and access to trade routes for European settlers. Their mixed-race children became the mulatto class, who served as crucial intermediaries between Europeans and native Afrikans, helping to supply slaves for international trade.
Without these marriages & the children they produced, the slave trade would not have succeeded like it did.
Joseph E. Halloway reports that 70% of Black Slave Owners in the USA were light-skinned mixed-race women who had a White Father and a Black Mother. These women often inherited slaves from their slave-owning father once he passed away.
So what can we conclude about these truths?
Black Women sold out too.
I break this down in a video I did a few months ago
How did a discussion about community building become a history lesson about slavery?
It’s quite simple.
Failure to address the sins of our foremothers allows their problems to remain perpetuated & unresolved. That’s how generational curses continue.
We can not be surprised if we see Black Women openly promote genocidal "self-hating" rhetoric in exchange for status & resources. Those kinds of women have always existed—from colonial times until now. Those kinds of women have rarely been acknowledged or identified for who they are.
It's uncomfortable to acknowledge that there are female “sellouts.”
But if there is hope for Black America, accountability from men and women must be present.
Both must acknowledge the sins and triumphs of their forefathers.
Both must be willing to honestly assess reality and their roles in improving it. That’s only reasonable.
Some Black Men have walked away entirely, seeing little value in “saving” the community they’ve come to despise.
Others are hopeful, fighting for change, eager to collaborate, ready to build, and open to criticism.
In my observation, Black Women are generally less comfortable with scrutiny and uninspired by truth that makes them look bad. This is partially because we’re just not used to that sort of scrutiny.
But if Black people want a better future, it’s time to get honest.
And that just might mean we have to “criticize” Black Women.
Thank you for taking the time to stop by and hang out on my page, it truly means a lot!
If you enjoy my perspective and want to read more, consider upgrading.
You will gain access to exclusive content & your support enables me to provide additional content you can indulge in
. 😊
We all must be critical of ourselves and each other or else there will never be any agency or personal accountability imo.