Internalized sexism at least a hundred times more prevalent in women of color than internalized racism

[Originally posted at Leftist Looney Lunchbox. Any comments should be left there.]

Ann went to town on sexist men of color at Rachel‘s after I did of course and I wanted her to have (her) last (magnificent) word.

But I want to finish a thought.

Since I was a teenager, I noticed APIA women did not speak out against sexism of APIA men. They were in denial or made excuses. I noticed this in college, too, among women of color.

Women of color are a hundred times more likely to condone or enable the sexism of men of color than they are to condone or enable the racism of whites.

In other words, women of color are a hundred times more likely to speak out against racism than they are to speak out against the sexism of men of color.

Even though most rape and domestic violence occurs within the community. You see this pattern in real life and online.

Today is the perfect example:

How many women of color do you think turned up for the huge Jena Six/Hate Crimes march on DC today compared to the protest for crimes against women of color? (Details and commentary on both protests below.)

You can bet your life there were at least a hundred times more women of color at the first protest than at the second.

You can also bet your life there were at least a hundred times more women of color at the Jena Six protest in Jena, Louisiana than at the Megan Williams protest in Charleston, West Virginia.

Woman of color feminism (this can be NA/APIA/black/Latina feminism) is generally about two things:

1. ending the racism of whites
2. ending the sexism of men of color

bell hooks said people of color must repeatedly speak out against sexism in communities of color and

Until this silence is repeatedly broken, NAs/Asians/blacks/Latinos will never be able to constructively address issues of positive gender identity formation, domestic violence, rape, incest, or NA/Asian/black/Latino male-on-male violence.

The next time a woman or man of color says the words “internalized racism,” think about how neither the woman nor man of color in the same conversation has ever spoken out against the sexism of men of color. Perhaps even about the sexism of the man in the conversation.

Then speak out about sexism in your community.

Visible women of color feminisms are the only way we can end sexism, rape, domestic violence and sexual harrassment in our communities because white feminists do not speak out for us.

Crooks and Liars:

Jena 6/Hate Crime protests in DC

There’s a huge turnout in DC today as thousands of African Americans marched on the Justice Department to demand racial equality from the justice system spurred on by the Jena 6 case. CNN does a nice job with its coverage today. The new AG, Mukasey was forced to respond and you can hear what he had to say in the video.

Jena Six’ case sparks march on DC

Marchers surrounded the Justice Department headquarters on Friday to demand federal intervention in the “Jena Six” case and enforcement of hate crimes against those who hang nooses in public. On a chilly but clear day, busloads of people packed a downtown plaza seeking a big government response to small town injustices…

What About Our Daughters?:

DUNBAR VILLAGE COUNTER PROTEST MAKES USAToday! – Picture of BlkSeaGoat Included – YOU GO BOY!

What About Our Daughters?:

In case you have not heard, there is a protest scheduled today in front of the Department of Justice in Washington, DC about hate crimes. A WAOD reader, Shane, has organized a “counter protest” of the protest. But “counter protest” is an inartful way to describe what is going to take place today because “counter” implies that Shane is against the stated goals of the original protest. That is not true he probably agrees with the folk getting on charter buses to march in DC. So instead of “counter protest” a better way to describe what Shane has organized is “a very public CONVERSATION.” Folks are coming to DC for a monologue well Shane just made it a dialog and some people are in a uproar that he would dare have such a dialog on the streets of DC during their carefully crafted protest. You see, with the same fervor that some folks hundreds of years ago believe that the earth was flat, they believe that Black folks can’t have a VERY PUBLIC CONVERSATION without the whole of Black America imploding on the spot, instantaneously. We survived the Middle Passage, Slavery, Jim Crow and flavor of Love, but what we cannot survive, to some folks, is a VERY PUBLIC CONVERSATION!

There is a lot I do not know right now, but one thing I DO KNOW is that Black American can survive a CONVERSATION. In fact, we’ll be better for it. What we cannot survive is continued SILENCE. This craving for SILENCE for the sake of UNITY is killing us literally.

So everybody chill out. Today is a great day for Black America. Today we will have concrete proof that we can have a public CONVERSATION and a public “engagement” and Black America will survive and thrive.

bell hooks said there’s a difference between unity that sweeps differences under the rug and community which celebrates differences.

USAToday:

When demonstrators rally on the steps of the U.S. Justice Department Friday to protest the government’s handling of hate crimes, blogger-turned-activist Shane Johnson will be waiting for them with a protest of his own.

Johnson and a modest band of supporters are pushing back against the outpouring of black support for black male offenders, such as the Jena 6, saying it comes at the expense of female victims of black-on-black crime.

The group is leading a Jena 6-like grass-roots movement through e-mails, blogs and rallies. It wants to call national attention to the beating and rape of a 35-year-old Haitian woman and the beating and sexual assault of her 12-year-old son by up to 10 assailants in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Johnson organized the rally after he read about the assault on the blog, “What About Our Daughters?” He questions why national black leaders and black media who supported the Jena 6 and the alleged victim in the Duke lacrosse case have ignored the Dunbar Village attack, in which the mother, son and alleged attackers are black.

Gina McCauley, an Austin attorney who runs the blog “What About Our Daughters?,” a site devoted to fighting stereotypes of black women in popular culture, says the Florida case has garnered little national attention because “we don’t value the lives of black women.”

Actually, the Jersey Four case is more like Jena Six because they’re about unequal justice. The Jersey Four are IN PRISON AS WE SPEAK for defending themselves. Sexism in communities of color is one thing, homophobia another. Dwayne Buckle made sexist and homophobic remarks not because of racism but lack of feminist education which is why woman of color feminism is critical to liberation.

Jersey 4 News

Via BFP and Donna

Hi, everyone.

Mollie Brown, the mother of Renata Hill, will be speaking in support of her daughter and the other members of the New Jersey 4 on Saturday, November 17, at 7 p.m. at Bluestockings bookstore. She invites everyone to join her and the other speakers and she hopes that everyone who hears about this event will spread the word about it.

Bluestockings is a radical bookstore, fair trade cafe, and activist center in the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
Telephone: (212) 777-6028

http://www.bluestockings.com/

Saturday, November 17th @ 7PM – $5 Suggested BUT you will not be turned away from any event at Bluestockings for having empty pockets.

Discussion: Criminalization of Queer Youth of Color

Let’s have a cross movement dialog regarding race, gender, media and the law. As highlighted by the arrest and incarceration of a group of 4 young lesbian women of color from New Jersey (the Jersey 4), the legal system has a heavy bias with respect to our treatment, our safety, our freedom. Please join us.

Bluestockings is located in the Lower East Side of Manhattan at 172 Allen Street between Stanton and Rivington – which means that we are 1 block south of Houston and 1st Avenue.

By train: We are 1 block south of the F train’s 2nd Avenue stop and just 5 blocks from the JMZ-line’s Essex / Delancey Street stop.

By car: If you take the Houston exit off of the FDR, then turn left onto Essex (aka Avenue A), then right on Rivington, and finally right on Allen, you will be very, very close.

One, Two, KaPow! Mychal Bell Is Released

First this:

Justice Department Asked to enter Jena Case

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Congressional Black Caucus is asking the Justice Department to investigate possible civil rights violations in the “Jena 6″ case that sparked a massive protest in Louisiana last week.

“This shocking case has focused national and international attention on what appears to be an unbelievable example of the separate and unequal justice that was once commonplace in the Deep South,” the group of 43 lawmakers said in a letter to Acting Attorney General Peter Keisler.

Justice Department spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said the department has been closely monitoring the case of six black high school teens arrested for beating a white classmate in Jena, La. He said the department also is investigating allegations of threats against the students and their families.

“Since these investigations are ongoing, the department cannot comment any further,” Roehrkasse said.

And then this:

Jena Six Defendant Released on Bail

A black teenager whose prosecution in the beating of a white classmate prompted a massive civil rights protest here walked out of a courthouse Thursday after a judge ordered him freed.

Mychal Bell’s release on $45,000 bail came hours after a prosecutor confirmed he will no longer seek an adult trial for the 17-year-old. Bell, one of the teenagers known as the Jena Six, still faces trial as a juvenile in the December beating in this small central Louisiana town.

Both stories show up on Google News within the last few hours.

My favorite part: “District Attorney Reed Walters said Thursday that he would not appeal that decision and would let a juvenile court deal with the case.”

Gee, Mr. Walters. Not so cocky any more are you? What happened to that stern conviction you had that Mychal Bell deserved to rot in jail for the next 50 years for wielding his deadly tennis shoe? Your change of heart didn’t have anything to do with the growing support for you to be investigated and kicked out of your job, was it?

I’m just wondering.

Regardless, this is certainly good news. A message has been sent, loud and clear, that this sort of injustice will not stand, but once again, this is far from over. I feel that we must remain vigilant in keeping our eyes on this case. We must not let the Jena justice system off the hook just because they finally were pressured to do the right thing.

This is just the beginning, my friends.

Here’s why:

Six white suspects accused of torturing a young black woman for days in West Virginia will not face federal hate crime charges, Justice Department officials told NBC News on Wednesday.

At one point, an assailant cut the woman’s ankle with a knife and used the N-word in telling her she was victimized because she is black, according to the criminal complaints.

On August 18, 2006, seven young African American lesbians traveled to the West Village from their homes in Newark for a regular night out. When walking down the street, a male bystander assaulted them with sexist and homophobic comments. The women tried to defend themselves, and a fight broke out. Thus began the women’s nightmare for almost a year. Three of the women accepted plea offers. On June 14th, 2007 Venice Brown (19), Terrain Dandridge (20), Patreese Johnson (20), and Renata Hill (24) received sentences ranging from 3 ½ to 11 years in prison.

The women and their families now call on our communities for support. Their emotional and financial burdens have already been immense. These hardships will only continue as the women begin their prison terms and the process of appeal.

Swastikas and hateful messages aimed at Jews were spray-painted on buildings and cars in more than a dozen locations in Brooklyn Heights on Monday night and yesterday, and fliers with savage epithets were found in three locations there, the police said.

There were no arrests yesterday, but more than 20 detectives were assigned to the case, as were dozens of officers in uniform and plainclothes, along with members of the department’s Hate Crime Task Force. A city truck equipped with tools and chemicals to remove graffiti was also dispatched.

The Jena Six Case is not just an assault on black folks, or black men in particular. It is part and parcel of an assault on anyone that does not fit The Mold. Not heterosexual? You’re damned. Not able-bodied? You’re damned. Skin too brown? You’re damned. Practice the wrong religion? You’re damned. Don’t speak English well? Your damned.

That’s what this is really all about. The specificity here, crimes against black folks, is certainly notable and should be pointed out as crimes against black folks, but for those who seem to think that these crimes aren’t worthy of your support because the victims don’t meet your standards of “good behavior,” it should be pointed out that your behavior is more than likely looked down upon by the same people that you are happily siding with in this case. The difference? You tell me.

Update: Carmen points out that Reed Walters is still ignorant and racist as all get out. Surprise, huh? From the Chicago Tribune:

“I firmly believe that had it not been for the direct intervention of the Lord Jesus Christ last Thursday, a disaster would have happened,” LaSalle Parish District Atty. Reed Walters told a nationally televised press conference.

When a black Jena pastor attending the press conference called it a “shame” that the prosecutor was crediting divine intervention for the orderly behavior of the demonstrators, Walters, who is white, said: “What I’m saying is, the Lord Jesus Christ put his influence on those people, and they responded accordingly.”

Gah! Can you believe this man? Carmen sums it up nicely:

No way dedication to justice, restraint and discipline could have played a roll. No sirree, Bob. That’s right Mr. Walters, remind your base to be afraid of “those people,” tell them that what they saw on that awesome day a week ago was a mirage whipped up by the Lord Himself. Afterall, only the Lord could suppress the savage and destructive urges of “those people.” African American human beings, united for a cause, could have never pulled off anything so grand on their own.

Jersey Seven/Four Updates

From Black Looks:

On August 3, 2007 (tomorrow) there is a benefit for the NJ4 at Remote Lounge at 327 Bowery Street between 2nd 3rd Streets in NYC. DJ Umbrella Helen and DJ Tikka Marsala will be on the ones and twos, with all proceeds of the benefit going towards the legal costs. Suggested donation is $10, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds, and donations of more than $10 will be greatly appreciated.

See also Fierce! And get to donating while you’re at it.

FIERCE! is a community organization for Transgender, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Two Spirit, Queer, and Questioning (TLGBTSQQ) youth of color in New York City. We are dedicated to exploring and building power in our communities through a mix of leadership development, artistic and cultural activism, political education, and campaign development while taking care of ourselves and each other. We take on the institutions that perpetuate transphobia, homophobia, racism, ethnic conflict, gender bias, economic injustice, ageism, and the spread of HIV, STIs, STDs, and other mental and physical health crises — that make daily survival a terrifying challenge for many TLGBTSQQ youth. FIERCE organizes against the injustices of the criminal “justice” system, housing, employment, education, and healthcare systems. We believe in ethic of organizing by us, for us. Now that’s FIERCE!

Here’s the background info that I got via Black Looks via Dee Finley:

–YOUNG LESBIANS FROM NEWARK NEED OUR SUPPORT!

On August 18, 2006, seven young African American lesbians traveled to the West Village from their homes in Newark for a regular night out. When walking down the street, a male bystander assaulted them with sexist and homophobic comments. The women tried to defend themselves, and a fight broke out. Thus began the women’s nightmare for almost a year. Three of the women accepted plea offers. On June 14th, 2007 Venice Brown (19), Terrain Dandridge (20), Patreese Johnson (20), and Renata Hill (24) received sentences ranging from 3 1⁄2 to 11 years in prison.

The women and their families now call on our communities for support. Their emotional and financial burdens have already been immense. These hardships will only continue as the women begin their prison terms and the process of appeal.

More information:
Seven black lesbians from Newark, NJ get hollered at on a night out in the gay village last August by Dwayne, a black male DVD bootlegger. What he said: let me get some of that, points to Patrice’s crotch. In court he referred to her as the slightly pretty one.)

What she said: we don’t want any of that, we’re lesbians. Other words were exchanged, he said I’ll fuck you straight! And to another of them, You look like an elephant. She said: well what about your ugly ass shoes? “NOT EXACTLY STEVEN MARBURYS HAR HAR HAR says Judge McLachlin.” Flicks a lit cig at her face.

Yanks out Renata’s hair and starts to choke her.

Go back a few years to May 11, 2003. Fifteen year old Sakia Gunn and a group of friends were coming home from the village via the PATH- Newark. Sakia and her friend were cruised by two black men while waiting for a bus. One of the men jumped out of the car and murdered Sakia in cold blood when she said she was a lesbian, no thanks. This was a classmate of some of these women. 2,500 people showed up at her funeral and mass protests were held to improve the safety of Newark, NJ for it LGBT2sp&GNC youth. The mayors office made a showing and had little to no follow up on the plans to build a safe recreation center.

Compare the press coverage to that of another hate crime committed across the US in Laramie, WY in 1998. Matthew Shepherd’s story has come out posthumously in the form of a foundation in his name, PSA by HRC a widely performed play in 2000 and an HBO film in 2002. His story is taught as curriculum in Universities. In the months after this cute blonde, gay white boy’s murder by straight white men, several hundred articles were written. Only about fifteen articles were written about Sakia Gunn’s murder.

Patrice(under 5 ft.) under oath admits I cut him one time with the dollar store steak knife she carried every night from her night shift at WalMart as a necessary safety precaution. Cut him one time and they walk away.

The court room is full of supporters of the women, there’s an all white jury, white judge, and a bunch of federal martials barking at thesupporters for itching a scratch. The women are all black, their accuser, their attacker, is black. But the press has made him into everyman, straight man, working man, attacked by a wolfpack of black lesbian women for saying ‘hi’.
Tell it to the judge-hear ye from the judge- “I HAVE NO SYMPATHY FOR YOU, YOU MAKE OUR CITY UNSAFE FOR TOURISTS”

Meanwhile surviellance cameras capture two men that jump in on the fight, beating the living crap out of Dwayne while the girls go to MacDonalds a block away, the seven are arrested and charged as a gang with attempted murder. The men who beat Dwayne are never questioned, The knife is never tested. Dwayne is never charged with assault. Its been almost a year of everyone’s life. Two of the women who have been imprisioned since that day have kids, two family members have died, one of their moms morgtgaged her house to move closer only for her daughter to be transferred six hours away to another prison. Terrain got 3 1/2 years, she is a gifted writer who likes junk food, her mom says, a brat. Venice got 5 years. Three of the women plead out to second degree gang assault charges, served six months time and are out on parole. Write Venice and Terrain at Albion Correctional facility.

Renata got 8 years, Patreese got 11 years out of a maximun of 25 on reduced charges, and are upstate at Bedford Hills maximum security.
Please repost! All proceeds go to the cause!

MYSPACE/THEXPARTY.COM MYSPACE/SUPPORT THE NJ4.COM

Join the Jersey Seven Facebook Group to help spread the word.

Sign the online petition too.