Black Women and Rape

I was researching rape for my graduate studies program, and focused on rape in communities of color.  I had to search, really, really, hard for information.  I was disappointed that people are not aware of the alarming statistics regarding women of color and rape.  While investigating a youtube clip on rape  in communities of color, specifically of Black women, by filmmaker AfroLez, titled No!, I was amazed at some of the comments.  They ranged from sympathetic (very few), to apathetic, to racist and sexist and beyond.  One commenter suggested that by focusing on the rape of Black women, rape as a subject was somehow devalued.  I promptly responded to the statement by asserting that rape anywhere, is of concern as the dynamics that fuel it are often prompted by the same sexist norms.  The young lady sent me a private message, arguing that by accusing her of dismissing Black rape, I was calling her a racist.  My first thought was....well, if the shoe fits.....but I was responsible in my reply.  

I tried to encourage a dialogue between she and myself by asking her what is so offensive about documenting the rape of Black women.  She promptly replied that rape occurs in White communities too.  This got me to thinking.  Whenever I've attended feminist or pro-womanist meetings concerning rape, the stories are often of White women and their experiences.  It is as if White is normative, a color which is a stand-in for all others, and therefore, those experiences are considered more valuable.  These experiences are for the most part, considered to be more relatable, than the experiences of women of color.  But why can't a Black woman's experiences be just as relatable?  Many of the stories of the women in the documentary mirrored those of many White women I have seen and spoken to.  Why can't the voices of Black women be just as valuable?  When I adamantly asked the commenter about these issues, I encountered resounding silence.  

On my quest for information, I voraciously searched the web, journals, articles, everything.  And I found something disturbing:  most people just don't believe that Black women can be raped.  Shows like Maury Povich, music videos and movies fuel the idea that Black women want to be fondled, groped and assaulted.  A glimpse at some of the comments I found (which I will NOT post here), shows how pervasive this kind of thinking is.  People often used the evidence of out-of-wedlock babies and pregnancy rates in the Black community as evidence that we are an oversexed and irresponsible group of people incapable of containing our urges and as such, cannot be victims.  

The recent hullabaloo concerning Antoine Dodson and his angry rant concerning the near rape of his sister, highlights the phenomenon of how our society brushes the sexual assault of Black women under a rug only to focus on other things.  I remember years ago in Chicago, a man was raping Black women standing on bus stops on the South Side, causing many to fear for their safety.  Nothing was done about it until a newspaper columnist called for heavier police enforcement and investigation into the crimes.  It all pointed to one thing:  No one cared.  The intersectionality of racism, classism and and inferences of irresponsibility should be addressed.  There is should be no reason why so many Black women will experience rape or some form of sexual intimidation during her lifetime.  There should be no reason why the voices of these women be silenced.