History has taught us a lot about upheavals for change, and no battle during these ongoing struggles has been easy for those on the ground, seeking to alter certain conditions.
A good example is how the civil rights movement has contributed to the disappearance of transcendental leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and countless others that we as a people seldom take a second of our lives to talk about.
Self-sacrifice is no foolish act; it requires strength and the willingness to stand against injustice in society to say “enough is enough.”
While many might ask: “Why we need to fight?” we must not forget how almost half a century later Dr. King’s words have given us a Black president. Regardless of his achievements in office, having broken the glass-ceiling in the West has no price.
Moving from being enslaved to the presidency is phenomenal. Yes, President Obama failed in many areas. Unfortunately, this is not the subject of this piece. We will continue this debate in another article. So just hang on for now: “I’ll be back,” as Arnold would say.
In addition, the feminist movement took more than a century to really bring women out of the kitchen. In fact, some women are still slaves in the bedrooms, constantly suffering from verbal and physical abuses.
Pitifully, conjugal violence is one damaging aspect that is persistently contributing to the rate of women’s deaths in society. Imagine the rest of the world.
At times, we have to realize that fear has no purpose and even less a place in the system.
Society must change when the laws governing our lives are in conflict with our fundamental rights to freedom and the pursuit of happiness; self-determination ought not be compromised in any process.
Objectively, we have to remain aware of the imperative to defend ourselves and to protect our rights. Saying no to any form of oppression is a right, and no one should be allowed to violate this legal aspect, otherwise any form of justice ceases to exist.
First of all, we have to know our rights to properly defend our interests in the system.
The fight for change is fundamental if we take our needs into account. It is engrained in the existential concept that makes us full-fledged beings in society, and as humans we must be seen and respected by all.
It takes courage to exist peacefully in this world; young girls are still continuously being deprived of every opportunity to see a classroom in some parts of the world. Genital mutilation affects far too many of them. Black women are essentially encouraged here in Quebec to remain silent in front of their sexual aggressors.
Obnoxiously, the culprits are us, members of the community who believe it is acceptable to step on the liberty of others. They condemn women who are strong enough to denounce their aggressors in public; that is due to absolute ignorance.
While we may give the victims a forum to speak, we as a whole are no judges. We have to allow sufficient room for the truth to prevail. If not, the community is sending the wrong message to the victims.
On one hand, we want Black women to be strong, capable of defending their own cause; on the other we decapitate them with words in public. In the end, the whole process is contradictory. Openness is vital to make the fight against oppression a reality.
The #MeToo movement has been fully integrated in white women’s daily routines. As usual, we always take the last train to arrive late. Some women came out relentlessly with teeth and nails to pursue their aggressors until formal accusations were brought forward in the courts.
Are Black women able to achieve the same in the system?
Any liberation movement for women and young girls cannot be sustainable in the absence of the unequivocal rights to fully participate in the building process or remaking of society.
It takes the common to make real change among a people. Based on any observation, the community is absent; fear brings no justice to the table. Rise and shine. It makes no sense to stay silent to endure.
Sexual assaults are not healthy to bear alone. Remember that!
Of late, the effects of Trumpism have coerced the electorate in the United States into sending more women to Washington and to elect more women as mayors and governors, even in states that saw women making history in politics for the first time.
Still, the message does not resonate evenly everywhere in the world.
Montreal is definitely lagging far behind, and one has to wonder why this has happened or is still happening today.
Black women in Quebec are educated; some are well placed in society to make a greater difference with their level of influence and yielding power to their peers both in the private and public spheres. Sadly, they still remain silent and blind to a disturbing cause that is compelling to our existence as a whole.
The notion of sisterhood seems not to exist where personal interests are on the lines.
The #MeToo movement cannot exist in an environment where “It’s all about me first.”
Is it the fear to lose their positions and political power that compelled them to turn their heads the other way so they can make themselves feel accepted as the gentle women, just like our gentilhomme in the system? Absurd!
They bow down for what? This absence of leadership is disquieting.
Social movements have always been at the advent of any social and political change in the world, yet seeing what is at stake, one has to wonder about why the #metoo movement is incapable of taking root amongst Black women in Quebec.
Are Black women no longer aware of their condition and duty in society? Are they too civil to act, and too concerned about others’ opinions to take a stand where a burst of protest about the abuse is vital?
Why such a disturbing form of silence when the rest of the world has taken the movement to even propel more women to play a more significant role in politics?
Does being late in the process, enough to help change the horror stories that are now playing unnoticeably in Montreal? Are Black women too afraid to say enough is enough? Change does not come without a cost.
If liberty is the highest form of achievement in the social and political sphere, is silence alone enough to contribute to the kind of social and behavioral changes that are necessary to make Black women become respected and appreciated amongst their own?
Recently, pictures and articles of Sandra Boursiquot, a Haitian woman who had been allegedly raped by the mayor of Ville Anjou, Luis Miranda, have been circulating everywhere, particularly in the white media, to highlight her protest at the town’s city hall, where she was aggressively expelled by the police at the request of the mayor who felt her presence (with pickets that denounced the aggression) was out of place.
In spite of that brutality and endless attempts to take the fight beyond the boundary of civility during the regular sessions, she remains indescribably ignored amongst Black women; even the mayor, Valerie Plante, failed to help after she has given her word.
Only the Black Coalition of Quebec is assisting her.
Feminism seems non-existent to Black women. Another Black woman came out on Facebook to speak about her ex-lover’s violence in the bedroom. Both women screamed out loud to create awareness about their unsavory experiences… It still seems like these women are all alone, speaking in some desert. What needs to happen for the community to stand together as one in great unity?
Let’s cross our fingers since another police killing can be avoided.
Mourning together does not indicate a sign of strength. Power is unity even when the struggle is not in the interest of all.
1 Comment
Martine Sixto May 20, 2019 at 7:42 pm
Thanks for sharing.