Why This Is Hard?

I don’t understand.

For all my education, I don’t understand.

With the theme for this month being protect Black women, for all of my wisdom in my almost 41 years of life, I do not understand why this is still hard. I don’t understand why Black women are the only class of women outside of perhaps our Indigenous/Native sisters, will have to plead for protection.

And in the pleading of this it only makes me that much more angry! I don’t understand why it is all my identities as Black and woman are constantly under attack! That my “no” is not taken seriously.

And this too is a problem.

In a world determined not to see you, as woman or Black, what are you supposed to do when both of those things are evident in your every day reality?

I would cry if it would help. But it won’t…

I am reminded of what my writer friend Ashley Yates said:

Black women protect Black women.

Even if their protection extends to longer glasses in aisles at Target, waiting to sis gets in her car at a gas station, or being the adopted auntie on social media. Black women have to protect other Black women… because it seems no one else will.