Everything good can become bad if misused or used in excess. It is always good to encourage all people, including women, to aspire to their highest and fullest, and must be given a fair and equal opportunity in all things. As far as I am concerned, Black feminism has gotten to a point where we now celebrate single mothers and fatherless homes, not fighting enough against Black male oppression in terms of the law and employment, and the contentment of seeing Black males at the bottom to satisfy their feeling of superiority.
Not only do we celebrate single mothers more than married mothers on Mothers’ Day, many young girls today truly feel in their deepest souls that it is more prestigious to be an educated single mother than to have a father for their children as her husband in America. Despite the fact that the White governed systems of America allow Black women to excel more than Black men in most places of work and even to management positions, Black women are known to hire and watch out for themselves than give their qualified brothers a fair chance. They are even known to make statements that let you see that there are more Black women hired here or that there are more Black women in powerful position there. This is true, but what are they doing with the opportunity and power to make sure that their sons have someone economically stable to look up to and that their daughters have someone responsible to call their fathers or husbands?
The latest incident that I must address is the bad treatment of Barack Obama by Black American women. We already know that a huge percentage of Black men do not have the right to vote because of past legal issue they had in their young age. So, those who have the power to vote for change in Black America are mostly Black women. It is a sad fact to know that one of the major reasons why Hillary Clinton is beating Barack Obama, the only Black Presidential Candidate, by an increasing margin is because Black women voters feel that women need to stick together. Barack Obama is a Black man married to a Black woman with Black children, and he worships in a Black church. If I am correct, I believe he also lives in a predominately Black community. This means that he is in touch with Black American needs and interests. Are Black women or the Black feminist willing to tell me that having any woman in office is better than having any Black man in office? Is having a woman in office of more importance than fighting for the future of your grand children?
Many people have said that Obama was silent on Black issues until Black radio hosts like Warren Ballentine, Michael Baisden, and Rev. Al Sharpton challenged him to speak out. This is true, but so was Hillary Clinton. She too did not speak soon enough about Jena 6, Hurricane Katrina, and the White power nooses showing up everywhere. Many feel that voting for Obama is a wasted vote because he will not beat Hillary Clinton, and even if he does, he will not beat any of the White Republicans for the White House. Many also feel a vote for Obama may give another Democrat, who might not be “Black friendly” a chance. Even if this is true, how then and when are we going to give a Black man a chance in America? It seems we all feel okay when the Black man is down or up to nothing good, but when he stands up to say that he will lead and bring positive change, we turn the other cheek.
Does this truly mean that Black women are so selfish that their progress as women has become more important than that of their children? Will Hillary Clinton truly fight and encourage the passing of strict laws against police brutality and racial profiling, against hate words and deeds, against unequal employment, layoff, and firing, against racial laws in all cities that need to be removed, and against obstructions hindering African reparation that will allow us to compete fairly in economic and political terms?
