Member Comments

• Posted By:
  congobro at 04/14/2008 4:59:29 AM
  Comment:
  Thanks for the article Dr. Harris-Lacewell. It would be great if we were also able to stand with Black women on a global scale, bearing witness to our stories and holding one another accountable. The greatest mass rapes taking place today occur on the African continent in the Congo so that we in the West can benefit from modern amenities such as cell phones, computers and video games. http://www.friendsofthecongo.org/reports/women.php
  
  Let's take the concern and accountability global. contact friends@freindsofcongo.org for more info.
• Posted By:
  congobro at 04/14/2008 3:57:38 AM
  Comment:
  Thanks for the article Dr. Harris-Lacewell. It would be great if we were also able to stand with Black women on a global scale, bearing witness to our stories and holding one another accountable. The greatest mass rapes taking place today occur on the African continent in the Congo so that we in the West can benefit from modern amenities such as cell phones, computers and video games. http://www.friendsofthecongo.org/reports/women.php
  
  Let's take the concern and accountability global. contact friends@freindsofcongo.org for more info.
• Posted By:
  Lara Ayad at 04/13/2008 12:16:12 AM
  Comment:
  I want to say first, I am really happy with this whole project, with the article, with the fact that you came out and talked about this. But, but, but, I am sensing here in this article the assumption that black fathers, uncles, brothers, etc. (the men in your lives) don't "typically" rape and molest women in their families/lives. This is a very dangerous assumption. We all know that 80% of rape victims were attacked by men they knew and trusted. Our fathers, brothers, lovers, etc. are VERY accountable for the violence they use upon us. Just because black men are oppressed on account of their race it does NOT mean they do not use their male privilege to abuse and hurt women. No Andre, I am not "feeling" you. Stop trying to tell women to shut up about their experiences, by trying to silence black women, by telling them they should keep this on the down low, you are telling them "their" issues are not as important. I also want to add, I cannot stand the fact that a man who has committed domestic violence, Kevin Powell, can actually constructively speak out against said violence. How can a man that has so much hatred of women to the extent that he would hurt women in his life be effective in speaking out against it? And I also find very dangerous the belief that men should be the ones fighting this "for" women:
  
  "The Brooklyn gathering was a model of how black men can help create safe spaces for us. It was a reminder that men can exert power and reclaim manhood by standing with black women,"
  
  Men cannot create safe spaces for you, women have to create safe woman-only spaces. In our patriarchal culture it is absolutely imperative that women create women-only spaces for them to be safe. And is this what we should care about in the end? Preserving men's masculinity? Is that really the most important thing in the world? Not above women's safety, I don't think :/
  I apologize for coming off as so critical and harsh, because I really do think this project and speaking out and the support of black men are important, but over and over again I keep hearing a "what-about-the-menz" tone in this writing and it is very anti-feminist and very counter-intuitive. If these men truly did care about women's rights and preventing sexual violence they would be willing to sacrifice their male privilege in order to do so. It should not be black women's responsibility to "preserve" black men's "manhood" while trying to fight for their rights.