(ThySistas.com) My heart hurts when a woman loses her child. Knowing the rigors of childbirth, no woman should have to bury her child…nor her grandchild. When young black boys and men are gunned down in the street, in all the death and suffering, my mind reflects on the women that raised this person. When one of our men is killed by the police they are picked apart as if any choices they made in life was worth them being unjustly shot…the big picture is lost in a moment. I expect this from some white people, but its alarming when we begin to turn death into dating choices.
Stephon Clark was killed by police in Sacramento in his grandmother’s back yard. Think about this sisters, that elder has to live in a place where her grandson was murdered by police. This killing further solidifies that we are safe, as a people, nowhere. There is no place for us to escape the brutality of this country. Home use to
be a safe space and we are constantly reminded that we are not worth having such things…hence humanity is lost on us in the eyes of our oppressors. However, I must admit that I found it alarming when a sister went live on Facebook to explain that she can’t support protesting because Stephon Clark hates black women, and the mother of his children is of Asian descent. My immediate thought was…is that worth him dying?
Right now, there is a move among black women that says we stand for us, and I appreciate the stance. However, if we are not careful we will find ourselves merely a pawn in a movement fueled by white feminist that will destroy the very nature of who we are as black women. Recently I saw a post of a light skinned black male model and sisters began to comment that he was too light skinned. Many sisters aren’t questioning Serena Williams and her white husband.
Yes, she’s dated black men but if she begins to speak on her experiences some how we will understand. Yes, there are black men out there that have had horrible experiences with black women and we will not understand. Social media won’t tell us everything we need to know. However, none of this is important in light of the fact that another black man is dead at the hands of police. Regardless of what you may feel about his choices there is a black woman grieving…one of us.
No matter who our sons and grandsons love they come from us, and from our daughters. When we stand and protest the killings of our sons and daughters we are standing with each other. I can’t agree with the sister that won’t protest because Stephon Clark doesn’t like black woman…I protest because I stand with his grandmother. I protest because killing a black man in his grandmothers back yard feels like they are getting close to my back yard; I am mother to a black boy.
Yes, we need to have serious intervention about the relationship between black men and women, and it needs to happen without bias nor double standard. However, that conversation is an in-house matter, and we must stand together when we are being killed. No matter the inhouse issues I will always stand with the mothers of our communities. I mourn with the grandmother and family of Stephon Clark while praying that my sons be allowed to live…that our daughters be allowed to live.
Staff Writer; Christian Starr
May connect with this sister over at Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/christian.pierre.9809 and also Twitter; http://twitter.com/MrzZeta.