When Black Women Are Bullied
We are still considered the aggressors when we are under attack
The recent events surrounding ABC’s Bachelor franchise and Meghan Markle’s interview with Oprah Winfrey have successfully shone a bright light on the vicious world of bullying directed at Black women and women of color.
Americans claim to condemn any form of bullying, but that condemnation becomes null and void when Black women are the victims.
The Bachelor Bullying
Controversy overshadowed the season featuring the first Black bachelor, Matt James, due to the questionable activities of one of the front runners. Pictures of Racheal Kirkconnell, 24, attending an antebellum party in 2018 with her sorority sisters surfaced and quickly went viral. Another post revealed her “liking” a picture of two young women standing in front of Confederate flags.
Chris Harrison, the show’s host since 2002, was interviewed about Kirkconnell’s behavior by Rachel Lindsey, who was the first Black Bachelorette in 2017. During the interview, Harrison made several disparaging statements, including reference to the “woke police” and suggesting that the backlash against Kirkconnell stemmed only from the nation’s attempt at racial reckoning in 2020. He repeatedly defended Kirkconnell, admonished Lindsay…
