The United States is in shambles and what’s happening is not new. Good ol’ democratic America has always had issues with recognizing people’s humanity and basic rights. Abortion is but one right that has come under threat (again). The powers that be are attempting to roll back rights, getting closer to bringing on times akin to The Handmaid’s Tale…or bringing back times akin to pre-Roe v. Wade USA. In the wake of these abortion bans, saying no to struggle love is a necessary means of protection.
Health and Wellness
Fast Girls & Grown Boys: On Our Failure to Protect Black Children
CN: Child Sexual Abuse
Just a few weeks ago allegations of R. Kelly’s sex cult had the internet abuzz with debate. Many claimed that they will continue to support him despite the accusations. The defense seemed to be that the young women involved are technically of legal age. However, Kelly’s continued success despite more than two decades’ history of problematic sexual allegations before this makes it evident that those are only excuses.
Fast forward to last week. Lil’ Boosie posted on Instagram his promise to provide oral sex from “a bad bitch” for his son’s 14th birthday. While there was some backlash, others applauded him. Later, he made another video asserting that “I was just clowning on the Instagram really, you know…I ain’t gon’ go get him no head. I ain’t gon’ bring nobody to go get him no head.” But even if Boosie wasn’t actually going to do it, my suspicions tell me that the sentiment itself was authentic.
These occurrences are different sides of the same coin. They are both indicative of our failure to protect Black children. Both point to a problem that people (often Black women) are silenced for addressing. Sexual abuse isn’t an issue unique to Black communities but it’s one that, as a whole, we refuse to confront. If there’s any hope of fixing it, we have to acknowledge how we enable it.