Misogyny is an extreme form of sexism that is often defined as the hatred of women.
Misogynoir is the anti-Black racist misogyny that Black women experience.
We can see examples of Misogyny everywhere in the media, the work place, school and in everyday life. Some ways you might have seen it without realizing is how black girls are perceived to be older, or how black girls are often victim shamed making it appear that it was “their fault”. Doctors might perceive black women as having a higher pain tolerance. There have been many stories of black women speaking up about the mistreatment and “lack of care” from health professionals. Black women can also be viewed as angry, intimidating or threatening when speaking up for themselves or others. A term also known as “angry black woman”, has been used to reference black women today. The list can go on and on from how black women can wear an outfit and it will seem “unacceptable” but if a white woman has the same outfit on, it’s cute. We have to break that mentality of thinking that way. We ourselves might not think like this but many do, so it is our job to help spread the right information and spread positivity.
Black Women and Girls are constantly at a disadvantage. One of the many ways black women and girls face adversity is poverty. “Of the approximately 568,000 people in the US experiencing homelessness on a single night last year, about 40% of them were African Americans, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s.” (CNN) African Americans make up 13.4% of the U.S population but 40% are homeless. This speaks volumes to how blacks are treated in America. For generations blacks have been systemically denied for basic human rights and opportunities. This can also be defined as intergenerational trauma, intergenerational trauma is a psychological term meaning that trauma can be transferred in between generations. Criminal justice, health care, poverty, housing and many other factors can contribute to more and more African Americans being at risk of facing homelessness.
Mental health significantly affects the black community. There is such a stigma against mental health causing more to suffer from depression. “When broken down by race and ethnicity, PTSD affects black people more than any other group, and black women at a greater rate than black men, according to a 2011 study published in the Journal of Psychological Medicine. A 2006 study in the Journal of Emotional Abuse also found that perceived racism contributed to emotional and psychological trauma in people of color.” (calmatters.org) That being said on top of daily struggles many face, there are large numbers of black women who have to deal with racism, homelessness, abuse, taking care of a family, mental health and much more. This is not to say every black woman if going through these specific examples but many are being affected by mental health. This is why we need to start these conversations to talk about where to go from here.
Some things that can be done to help make a change are having more accessible resources in communities that need it. There are places to help but most of the time people don’t know about them. To make them more well known cities should build resource centers that care for people facing depression or any other mental illnesses. Also having more hotline numbers to call in case people do not feel comfortable going to a center. It is all about getting the information out there. As far as helping those facing homelessness or being at risk, there should also be more resources that are accessible to help. Shelters tend to get overcrowded but if we had more places for those who are unhoused to have a place to wash-up, get a meal, or have access to the internet, we might see a drop in numbers. Having a place to go to with the internet can help people go to school online and earn a degree, look for a job, and even a place to live if they are at that step.
