Dear America, Get Your Oppression The Fuck Off My Black Ovaries
As an African woman born to this country, I must say that the 29 years of living in this country has been filled with constant reminders that I am not living in the self-proclaimed home of the free and the brave and may never experience that by your standards. Because I am a black woman having this American human experience I am expected to accept that my experience will always be layered, more difficult, and unequivically unfair.
I have seen the brave persecuted for pursuing their rights to freedom and happiness. Historically, this land has made it almost impossible to be black and to be a woman. America has never allowed women of my hue to have autonomy over their bodies and has always determined the value of our lives. One of the greatest pains of being a black woman is knowing that the shackles over our bodies have never been cut off. Over time theses shackles have grown heavier and have evolved with the times. These shackles have become so normal they are etched into our melanin and everyday they serve as a reminder that our bodies holds no value to America.
Throughout your history ,the black female body was raped, beaten, bred, used, discarded, hung, molested, mauled, buried, mutilated, and degraded in every imagineable way. Even when I look at your advancements in medicine, my black body is reminded that it has always been intended to be used for your amusement. Within the inhumanity of the treatment we were served on a platter and spoon fed ever so slowly, we were told that we were inhumane and deserving of such treatment.
Just look at your beloved “Father of Modern Gynecology” , James Marion Sims. This man that you honor and allowed to co-found operating institutions such as the American Gynecological Society,was a known criminal guilty of medical malpractice under the racist notion that black bodies are incapable of feeling pain. Sims conducted research using black bodies as medical subjects operating without anesthesia . Women were reported to be operated on 30 times. Some women screamed for hours and hours without any help or intervention. Many black women that died at the hands of this monster have gone unnamed in history and silenced and forgotten by you forever .
’Til this day, there are still racial disparities I have to fight against when I am in need of medical attention. As a black woman, I still have to “prove” I’m having a human experience that requires the health care services that I am directly paying for. I still have to be a comfort to my sisters when they go the doctor’s and leave unheard, unbelieved, and medically unaddressed. I still have to watch my white female counterparts get better treatment without question or hassle. Even when I get the college degree, move into the better communities, and my money is just as green… none of that matters to you America.
I speak for myself and on the behalf of my ancestors when I say I am tired of my black body being exploited by you. I am tired of the blatant disregard for my human right to choose what is best for me at all times. America, I should not be subjected to the same circumstances that black women faced 300 years. I should not be expected to contribute to this economy, support this government, and participate in this American society if in the grand scheme of things I am simply a slave with no say in what happens over my body and if there will never be justice served on my behalf.
As it stands, the Supreme Court has made the decision to overturn Roe v Wade revoking away the the federal constitutional right to have an abortion away from women. As a direct result of that decision, over a dozen states outlawed abortion. It’s being said that more states will have trigger bans and create abortion restrictions. But guess what America? Outside of the obvious violation of a woman’s right to choose, this decision is predicted to have a major economic impact on you.
According to a statement issued to CNN by Heidi Shierholz, president of the Economic Policy Insitute :
“This decision will cause immediate economic pain in 26 states where abortion bans are most likely and where people already face lower wages, less worker power, and limited access to health care.The fall of Roe will be an additional economic barricade.”
The God’s honest truth is this country is economically fucked as it stands. Yet and still, you just had to make a shitty situation shittier by intentionally revoking my freedom even if it meant shooting yourself in the foot. Did you actually think this through or were you to blinded by your own political and religious view points to give an actual f***?
The reality of having a black female body is recognizing that protecting my black body has never and will never be of importance to you. This country has has made black motherhood more of a death sentence for black woman than a joy one should look forward to. There is no urgency to create a fair healthcare system that gives minority women affordable and quality health services. The national maternal morbidity rate is 17 per 100,000 births but it increases to 55 per 100,000 births for black women. The worst part is knowing that 60% of all pregnancy related deaths are preventable.
There are different situations that may lead to a woman becoming a mother. Some situations are not rooted in being in a healthy loving relationship where two parties agree to create another human in an effort to build a family. Some situations are rooted in sexual abuse and trauma. Being a rape victim is significantly higher for black women and the probability of our attackers being convicted are significantly lower for black women.
America have you
… no humanity ?
…no compassion ?
… any regard for my black body ?
Was it not enough that you’ve made it impossible to get justice when I’m sexually assaulted? Now I can expect to be forced to give birth to a child that is the direct byproduct of sexual assault ? How is this any different than what my ancestors were subjected to during slavery?
I foolishly ask those questions knowing that your actions have been answers throughout time and you send constant reminders so that I may never forget that black womanhood has a target on it. I firmly believe that the enslavement of our bodies never stopped and this country prides itself on finding new ways to covertly devalue black bodies and black lives.
In light of medical racial disparities becoming so blatantly undeniable to us we have responded by literally taking matters into our own hands. Black women have responded by creating spaces for community- based doulas to improve birthing outcomes. This has helped to create better experiences and is becoming more widespread within our communities again. We still have much work to do over time to make an impact on the black maternal morbity rate and change the narrative of what is now a crisis. Despite our efforts to reserve life, our efforts cannot undo implicit biases, poor quality healthcare, medical racism, and other factors that have greatly contributed. Our efforts does not resolve the threat and the realities of being a survivor of sexual assault as it pertains to this country’s inability to fully hold perpetrators accountable for their crimes.
Even though women are rallying and organizing to change circumstances… there is so much that could be done on your end to address the black maternal crisis. When I read bodies of work such as Killing The Black Body by Dorothy Roberts, it saddens me to know that there has not much been much advancement in America when it comes to the black female body. Black women are still being punished for having babies and experiencing oppression through motherhood. Essentially what we are being told is that we are not able to make the best health decisions for our bodies and being penalized for doing so.
Criminalizing abortion is a direct attack on black women when 40% of abortions are received by black women. As if the school to prison pipleline wasn’t enough, black women now have to consider that motherhood could result in their incarceration. In some states, women are being persecuted for miscarriages and still births and are considered felonies and misdemeanors. When and why did childbirth become a direct passage to jail?
About 80,000,000 women lost their right to choose. As a black woman, I am aware of how much of a threat motherhood poses to me and how my battle looks different than women of other races. Nonetheless, I’ll continue to fight and I don’t plan on ever letting up. Get your oppression the fuck off my black ovaries.
-MSW
