WOMANISM

Why Are Black Men So Quiet About the Things That Matter to Black Women?

Issues that only impact Black women have a short shelf life

Photo by Simi Iluyomade on Unsplash

While all Black people experience racism, Black women experience misogynoir, a toxic concoction of racism and misogyny. The national conversation about racism typically focuses on issues like police brutality, affordable housing, and the dreaded racial wealth gap that impacts Black men and women. But, society in general and Black men, in particular, are amazingly quiet about the things that matter to Black women specifically. Issues like maternal mortality, a woman's right to choose, and equal pay have a short shelf life in our communities.

As Black people, we should always work together — this is not a "divestment" type of article. But, Black men should have more of an interest in maternal mortality, for instance. When compared with White women, Black women are three times as likely to die during pregnancy and postpartum. "Most maternal deaths are preventable, as the health-care solutions to prevent or manage complications are well known. All women need access to high-quality care in pregnancy, and during and after childbirth." Racism and a lack of interest in the welfare of Black women contribute to their untimely deaths. Yet, we don't see Black men protesting outside of America's hospitals demanding better treatment for Black women, and I wonder why.

Shouldn't Black men who are getting Black women pregnant be interested in preventing these deaths? And if they are concerned, why are Black men so quiet about maternal mortality? Imagine a world where Black women grew silent about police brutality, which impacts Black men more than Black women. Instead, our generation bore witness to Black women leading a movement demanding justice for Trayvon Martin, Philando Castille, Alton Sterling, Eric Gardner, George Floyd, and Daunte Wright. I could go on, but you get the point.

For context, Black people are 3.5 times as likely to die of police brutality when compared with White people. The disparity in how frequently Black people die from police brutality and how frequently Black women die from maternal mortality is statistically comparable. Yet, there is no sustained national uproar about the deaths…