you're in or you're out.
on supporting Black women + reads & vibes for your weekend.
Before we start, I’d like to wish a happy Veteran’s Day to everyone who’s served, or is currently serving in the armed forces. Wherever you are right now, I hope you feel loved and appreciated. Thank you for your service.
before you continue reading: this week’s thoughts at large touches on violence against women. please skip it if that may be triggering for you. xo - andrea
thoughts at large.
I am a Black woman who supports Black women, so when I see my sisters getting less than fair, respectful treatment, I get annoyed.
With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that I’ve been particularly frustrated by the way the court of public opinion has treated my girl, Megan Thee Stallion. She’s dealt with a lot since becoming a star - including the death of her mother, and more recently, being shot by a rap-singing Canadian leprechaun with a history of anger issues.
It’s been tough to watch the industry turn their backs on her - simply disregarding her story & pain to collaborate & perform with her attacker. What I’ve come to understand from this experience and others, is that in hip-hop, violence is only taken seriously when men are the victims.
Immediately following the deaths of Nipsey Hussle, Pop Smoke, King Von, Young Dolph, PNB Rock, and Takeoff - there were instant (and justified) calls for an end to the violence. But that same kind of (gun) violence always winds up being a joke when the victims are women.
The Darkest Hue captured this brilliantly in this thread.
click the post below & read through.
I take the biggest issue with the men who are pseudo-supporters of women: those who hashtagged Breonna Taylor’s name for the optics while it was trending, but never actually stand up, support & defend women in real life.
It’s sad, because when you really look back - you’ll see that Black women have been on the front lines standing in support of the calls for justice for men who have fallen victim to violence, whether at the hand of the police or their peers. The energy is just not reciprocated, and that’s disheartening.
One thing we will do, however, is take care of our own. Yesterday, a group of notable women wrote an open letter to Megan, which you can read in full, here. A notable quote below.
We salute you for the bravery it has taken to defend yourself in the court of public opinion, though you shouldn’t have had to do so at all. We raise our voices against those who have made light of this heinous example of violence against women and will drown them out with our demands for society to take what happens to Black women seriously. You are not alone. You are believed, loved, and supported.
She deserves this, and more. She deserves so much more than what she’s been given.
So what’s the solution? I can’t answer that for you. I just look forward to the day when we can come together to de-platform people when they disrespect us… but until then, decisions have to be made on an individual level.
From a personal perspective, I’ve established my own personal boycotts of music from artists that don’t align with my sensibilities. While that may be a drop in the bucket, it does what it should do for me - helps me protect my peace.
reads + vibes.
Reminder that Wakanda Forever is in theaters today. I have a PSA for you. You can watch it below:
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Thanks in advance.
I watched Love is Blind this week and I’m wondering why that show always seems to cast Black women but so few of them actually make it to coupledom? I’m not the only one. Read host/creator Nick Lachey’s response to that question here. Spoiler alert: he didn’t really answer.
If you have time this weekend, check out Buy My House on Netflix - it’s a new show that’s like the Shark Tank for residential real estate. Real people get the opportunity to solicit deals from real estate investors for their homes. Great feel good stories + some very cool houses. If you like HGTV, you’ll enjoy.
That’s all for this week. If you have any new music suggestions for me - leave me a comment, or… send me a DM. Have a great weekend!
