Black Women’s Blueprint has posted to Facebook (here) and its blog (here) this “Open Letter from Black Women to the SlutWalk”:
We the undersigned women of African descent and anti-violence advocates, activists, scholars, organizational and spiritual leaders wish to address the SlutWalk. First, we commend the organizers on their bold and vast mobilization to end the shaming and blaming of sexual assault victims for violence committed against them by other members of society. We are proud to be living in this moment in time where girls and boys have the opportunity to witness the acts of extraordinary women resisting oppression and challenging the myths that feed rape culture everywhere.
The police officer’s comments in Toronto that ignited the organizing of the first SlutWalk and served to trivialize, omit and dismiss women’s continuous experiences of sexual exploitation, assault, and oppression are an attack upon our collective spirits. Whether the dismissal of rape and other violations of a woman’s body be driven by her mode of dress, line of work, level of intoxication, her class, and in cases of Black and brown bodies—her race, we are in full agreement that no one deserves to be raped.
The Issue At Hand
We are deeply concerned. As Black women and girls we find no space in SlutWalk, no space for participation and to unequivocally denounce rape and sexual assault as we have experienced it. We are perplexed by the use of the term “slut” and by any implication that this word, much like the word “Ho” or the “N” word should be re-appropriated. The way in which we are perceived and what happens to us before, during and after sexual assault crosses the boundaries of our mode of dress. Much of this is tied to our particular history. In the United States, where slavery constructed Black female sexualities, Jim Crow kidnappings, rape and lynchings, gender misrepresentations, and more recently, where the Black female immigrant struggle combine, “slut” has different associations for Black women. We do not recognize ourselves nor do we see our lived experiences reflected within SlutWalk and especially not in its brand and its label.
As Black women, we do not have the privilege or the space to call ourselves “slut” without validating the already historically entrenched ideology and recurring messages about what and who the Black woman is.
Read the rest of the post here.
Organizers of SlutWalk Toronto posted this response to the group’s Facebook page (here):
We received this letter in an email this afternoon and are thankful these organizations and women have connected with us. We are so appreciative of the genuine support, concerns, requests and engagement in dialogue. Dialogues around SlutWalks inclusion, efforts to make change, support to survivors and engagement with criticisms are complex and necessary and we are reflecting on this letter, our work in Toronto, the work of others in cities across America and across the world. These conversations are important, valid and need to happen with many different perspectives and voices involved. We are going to take some time to respond to this letter and hope to bring updates soon.
Comments are open on Facebook.
-Bridget Crawford
