The (Attempted) White Out of Black Women

by Maya Rockeymoore, Ph.D.

In a media week that started with a deeply disturbing viral video showing a black girl being violently abused by a former McKinney, TX police officer, then shifted to intense speculation about the mental health of a white woman who has chosen to pass as black, it is certainly gratifyng to have it end with the election of Ivy Taylor, San Antonio’s first elected African American female mayor.

This good news comes just when many of my black women friends who closely follow news and current events began to openly despair about the trajectory of our destiny in a nation that seems to be moving like molasses on women’s equality yet hellbent on racing toward its racially-polarized past. The violent images of black beatings and deaths have been so intense that one friend, theologian and educator Monique Spells, even proposed the creation of a “Systemic Stress Support Group” on Facebook to provide care, support, and affirmation for those stressed out by all the negative imagery.

Yet, given recent events involving women and race, surprisingly few mainstream news outlets have taken the time to examine the intersection of race and gender as it is lived simultaneously in real time, with perhaps one exception, by black women all over this country. What about the plight of women genetically gifted with melanin at birth? Activist Yvonne McSwaine picks up on this curious oversight in her own Facebook post:

Albeit largely under reported and often overlooked, there have been recent efforts to shine a spotlight on the white out of black women in the black lives matter media coverage. Although we seem to be reliving a version of 1950s America, black women understand that it is important not to repeat the part of that history where our labor and voices were subjugated to men within the Civil Rights Movement.

We also rest confidently in the knowledge that stepping up and speaking out does not in any way mean treating our male compatriots as enemies, competition, or persons to be subjugated. In fact, it has been heartening to see male allies bringing attention to our issues and women leading the effort to seek justice around the country.

In sum, when mainstream media fails to cover the lived reality of black women, there’s always excellent coverage and commentary to be consumed on Facebook, Twitter and niche media outlets catering to black women’s voices and concerns. While the jury is still out on how Mayor Ivy Taylor’s historic win will be treated by the press, recent events reinforce the perception that black women are most likely to get thoughtful mainsteam media coverage when they are white.

Dr. Maya Rockeymoore is President and Founder of the Center for Global Policy Solutions, a nonprofit think and action tank, and President and CEO of Global Policy Solutions LLC, a social change strategy firm in Washington, DC. A former adjunct professor at American University’s Women in Politics Institute, Dr. Rockeymoore is a political scientist, policy wonk, social entrepreneur, writer, and public speaker.