Welcome to the Black Women's Network!
In the past six months, I have read many amazing posts from highly intelligent Black women about our collective status in America and the world. We celebrated our many victories, but we were also saddened by the many frightening statistics concerning us.
We have silently listened to the smug opinions about us by pundits who do not look like us, feel like us, act like us, or experience the world like we do.
We have internally railed against the wholesale devaluation of our womanhood, our dignity, and our very humanity. And then we got really, really mad.
In the year 2007, we criticized, critiqued, commiserated, and cried about about the hideous treatment of black women and girls. We have cat-called the crunk gangsta (c)rappers, and we have also called congressmen out about their counterfeit concern about black women's rights.
We have castigated (and some people claim that we 'castrated') activists who are content to ignore crimes committed against us. We even held a few black women in contempt who colluded against our collective welfare for their own selfish gain.
But what we have not yet done... is COLLABORATED with each other.
This new blog, entitled 'Black Women Vote!' is a war cry to all Black women who are fed up, pissed off, and mad as heck about the present conditions of Black womanhood in America, and are ready to do something about it. Make no mistake... we're about to change some stuff up in this piece! We have the social, economic, political tools to compel America to become more hospitable for ourselves, and for our daughters.
In the year 2008, let us all resolve to look deeper into the issues that affect us the most -- and to discuss practical, actionable plans to change the tide in our favor.
Our first step should be to identify what those issues are, and to discuss -- even debate if we have to -- what the solution(s) should be. Don't let the title of this blog fool you -- it's not just about political voting. We also vote with our dollars, our time, our energies, and our affections.
Because the year 2008 is a crucial a political season, we have more power than ever to TAKE -- not just demand, what is rightfully ours as full American citizens. In order to do that, quite a few of us (myself included) need to become much more politically savvy. We MUST resolve to become more investigatory of politicians, and not to vote on 'gut feelings' and 'loyalty' like we have in the past. We need to vote on stone, cold facts. If those hard facts match up with our warm and fuzzy feelings for a particular candidate, that's icing on the cake. But we must learn how the political game is REALLY played. Consider this blog your primer in Politics 101 (the black female edition).
I will do my best to lay the facts on the table -- and I invite anyone who is interested in practical solutions to respond to/correct what I believe is the truth. I don't pretend to have all of the answers.
So welcome to a new chapter in Black female history. LET THE REVOLUTION BEGIN!
