“The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the Black woman. The most neglected person in America is the Black woman.” — Malcom X
Even though this quote is over 50 years-old, it still holds truth today, unfortunately.
Many people may have seen what happened with Serena Williams at the U.S. Open Final. She was accused of cheating and let it be known that she “doesn’t cheat and would rather lose” and that she has “won enough”. Many saw her statements and her demanding of apology as her standing up for herself. However, others thought she may have been overreacting. One person in particular thought that she had been acting a bit childish.
Photo by Mark Knight
Mark Knight, an Australian cartoonist, came up with the bright idea of conjuring up a cartoon that seemed to be just a little out of line. In the cartoon, Serena is characterized as a baby. Hence her jumping up and down as well as the pacifier laying on the ground. It gets worse than that. Serena is drawn with stereotypical black features. This includes big lips and a wide set nose. These types of features are ones that were used during the Jim Crow era to make fun of and belittle African-American people. How could a person not think this is racist! Lastly, the woman in the background is supposed to be Naomi Osaka but is displayed as a white woman with blonde hair when she is obviously not that at all. Whew, the ignorance.
It has become a common theme in society that when a black woman chooses to speak up for herself or demands respect she is being aggressive, overbearing or just plain mean. In the real world, it seems as if black women have to monitor themselves at all times to avoid being labeled as an “angry black woman”. When, in reality, we are just trying to help outsiders understand where we are coming from. If we don’t speak up then we will continue to allow others to run all over us. Our feelings get hurt too, and we can’t hold it in forever. We must let it be known eventually.