Protect, cherish, and fairly pay Black women. Always.

[Open Quote] “Your silence will not protect you.” [Close Quote]. – Audre Lorde.

The world is fucking exhausting.

I’m terrified for Diane Abbott right now. She doesn’t deserve this bullshit. No Black woman deserves this bullshit. Ever. We must check in with Diane to ensure she’s safe and okay. We must check in with all Black women to ensure they’re safe and okay.

I no longer tolerate being capitalism’s plaything, ableism’s commodity, racism’s tool for power, colonialism’s puppet for violence, white supremacy culture’s fetish for manipulation, cis-able neocolonial-racist-supremacist heteronormative patriarchy’s armour for bullying, and oppression’s pawn for harm. My ancestors and descendants demand and deserve better from me and for me. 🔥

I reject binary thinking. I reject anti-blackness, white supremacy culture, #Misogynoir, and racism. They are never acceptable. Harm and violence against anyone, even in speaking, are never excusable.

Like in many parts of the world, Black women in the UK face disproportionate, unacceptable harm and violence. Below are a few facts that highlight this:

• In the UK, Black women are four times more likely to die in pregnancy and childbirth.
• In the UK, Black women are least likely to be among the UK’s top earners.
• In the UK, only 61 Black women are professors out of 23,000 UK professors.

Highlighting Misogynoir, the UK charity Glitch released the insightful and vital “The Digital Misogynoir Report: Ending the dehumanising of Black women on social media” last year, which “shows the widespread and alarming prevalence of digital misogynoir across five social media platforms, and calls into question efforts by tech companies and the UK government to make online spaces safer, as dehumanising abuse directed towards Black women is allowed (and often enabled) to proliferate online.”

Protecting, cherishing, and fairly paying Black women should be a priority for everyone. It’s time to take action and protect their safety, peace, joy, grief, wisdom, richness, play, and love. Black women deserve the right to speak up, stand out, and be visible without fear of harm, manipulation, trauma, or discrimination. We cannot only call on them for their ideas, work, or support. It’s time to stand with Black women. It’s time we protect, cherish, and fairly pay them. Yesterday, today, tomorrow, and forever.

We must support, protect, and cherish Black communities, not just Black cultures.

As someone with a lifelong Disability, I have always had a “sixth sense” of observation. I notice everything that most people don’t even observe. One thing in particular that I have witnessed is that everyone loves Black cultures – Black music, Black fashion, Black food, Black design, Black creativity, Black love, et cetera – but no one loves Black communities.

Outside of Black communities, who are supporting Black infrastructures? Beyond Mental Health, who’s creating space and support for Black Mental Hygiene and holistic healing (and wellbeing)? Who’s hiring and promoting Black employment? Who’s building capacity for Black education? Who’s financially investing in Black people’s thriving? Who’s actively fighting anti-racism daily in private as well as publicly? Who’s championing Black Futures, not just Black History, without profiting from Black creativity? Without co-opting, exploiting, traumatising, and commoditising Black communities and Black spaces, who are demanding Black liberation because they understand that Black liberation is fundamentally tied to our collective liberation? Silent. Crickets creek.

Also, as a wholeheartedly Disabled AF, British-Pakistani man, continual work-in-progress: I know I will make mistakes, and for me, it’s always about progression over perfection. So, in interdependence and Revolutionary LOVE®, I’m sending my unconditional, soft, infinite love, care, respect, and solidarity to Diane Abbott and all Black women, including but not limited to Black Trans Women and Black Disabled women.

Stay radical, stay loving, stay you. Love you all, always x

#ProtectBlackWomen #ProtectAllBlackWomen #CollectiveLiberation #solidarity

PS: To the “what about” brigade - no, thank you.