“…women cannot fully talk about men because we have been so well socialized in a patriarchal culture to be silent on the subject of men. But more than silenced, we have been socialized to be the keepers of grave and serious secrets—especially those that could reveal the everyday strategies of male domination, how male power is enacted and maintained in our private lives.”
bell hooks, The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity and Love
I’ve never been much for keeping secrets.
As promised, here’s that piece I’ve been working on. An abbreviated version appears in the February issue of Vanity Fair:
“Dave Chappelle and the Black-Ass Lie That Keeps Us Down”
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/01/dave-chappelle-and-the-black-ass-lie-that-keeps-us-down
That was a deep and insightful article! You were wrong about one thing. I really do care what happens to Black women. Whenever I have taught unarmed combat, I make sure to pull them into class and take special care of them. I found that many are rape survivors, so I always talk to them, make sure they are comfortable, have them do close contact drills with sparring partners with whom they are comfortable. I do the same thing at work with the young Black women who are new. I know when things feel bad and low, it is easy to feel alone. But you are truly not alone.
I am sending your article to a school I support. They will contact you asking for an interview about creating an inclusive curriculum.
This article is excellent and deeply thought provoking. Thank you for your persistence work.