Speak Out
Today we are all affected by the growing visibility of the targeting (killing) of Black people, especially in the United States. It is an issue for all humans and certainly for us as women.
We have just been made aware of the unjust, inhumane, and brutal death of Sandra Bland, an African American woman in Texas, USA.1
People are debating whether it was suicide or murder. That is irrelevant. Today, because of modern technology, we can see what actually happened in her arrest. She was pulled over by a white male trooper for a minor driving offense. Most important, she was outspoken in her resistance to the authoritarian, mean-spirited treatment by this officer. It was reported that she did not stop crying when she was in jail (good for her). She refused to give in to the oppressive society. That is why she died. She was targeted. She was an outspoken Black woman.
All women need to challenge going silent, and we who are white cannot ever hide behind Black women or any woman who stands up (and then is labeled “uppity”2 as if it’s a negative thing).
It is important for all women to take a stand here. Go into sessions and fight with your voice. Do the same in support groups. Speak about it, write about it on blogs (Sandra Bland challenged racism in a blog), and more. I would love to hear about your not going silent.
Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, USA
Reprinted from the RC e-mail
discussion list for leaders of women
1 Sandra Bland was a twenty-eight-year-old African American woman who was found dead in her jail cell in Waller County, Texas, USA, on July 13, 2015, after being arrested for a minor traffic violation. Videos recorded on the arresting officer's dashboard camera and a bystander's cell phone revealed the violent, mean-spirited way the officer had treated her, and how she had spoken out against it.
2 "Uppity" means arrogant, presumptuous.