White Women Must Pull Their Weight

Black people are amused at the people who are complaining about Kamala Harris not speaking out about the actions of the president.

Most of the people complaining are White women.

This is amusing because not enough White women did their part during the election.

Far too many voted for the president despite knowing his past and present.

Some White women voted for Jill Stein or Cornel West in a misguided attempt to register a vote of complaint when the country could ill afford “both side” ism.

The result?

At least four more years of a sexist, misogynist president.

Some wouldn’t vote for Harris because she was part of the “Genocide Joe” administration.

They must feel better now that Gaza is likely to become an American-controlled resort.

There were a lot of people, White women included, who did the right thing.

These people knew the president wouldn’t act in the best interests of Palestinians.

People of Color.

Women.

Many people recognized the peril of a second administration.

Kamala ran because she understood the stakes.

Most Black women recognized that she was a better choice, the only viable choice for America.

They did their part.

An estimated 92% of Black women voted for Harris.

An estimated 52% of White women voted for the former president.

Only 48% of White women voted for their best interests.

Black women like Kamala Harris and her Black female supporters have been doing their utmost to improve freedom and equality in America.

They are tired.

They are hurt.

They have been betrayed.

They weren’t surprised.

MSNBC’s Joy Reid has told White women to not invite Black women to future protests. She said:

“I think Black women are now on the ‘save Black women,’ ‘prioritize Black men’ and ‘prioritize Black communities, Black businesses’ and … you know, the Black spaces. But ‘save America,’ ‘save the Democratic Party’ – yeah, I don’t think that’s happening.”

The frustration is palpable.

While there have been White women who worked shoulder to shoulder with Black women to “prioritize saving America,” there weren’t nearly enough.

White women are going to have to pick up the slack.

They are going to have to act in the best interest of all women in opposing the erosion of women’s bodily autonomy and economic rights and freedoms.

There will be Black women who will resume/rejoin the fight for human rights and gender equality.

But many are in recovery mode.

They need to heal.

The relationship between White and Black women has always been unbalanced.

Too many White southern women remained silent about the treatment of Black women during and after slavery while Black women were victimized by White men.

When the suffrage movement began, many White women tried to exclude Black women.

Now that a virulently sexist misogynist has regained the presidency, and is poised to enact gender discriminatory laws, White women will need to oppose and agitate against these laws.

And do so without the assured support of Black women.

For Black women to feel confident to rejoin the struggle, White women will need to authentically engage them.

They should invite them to the struggle as equal partners, making room for them in leadership positions.

They should value their perspectives.

They shouldn’t expect Black women to carry out grunt work by themselves.

The repairing of the relationship between White and Black women goes far beyond fending off attacks on gender equality.

It’s been far too long coming.