Statement by INCITE! Boston Women of Color Against Violence
On April 27, 2006, 19-year-old Milton High School graduate Dominique Samuels was murdered – by a man who flew into a rage and strangled her after she rebuffed his sexual advances. When her body was later found burnt beyond recognition in Franklin Park, news sources did not report the story until days later.
Where is the public outcry from African-American community leaders and organizations? Where is the outrage from youth groups combating violence? Where is the call to action from peace organizations? Church leaders, politicians, community activists responded in droves to rebuke the May 6, 2006 shooting death of Alex Mendes, a 24-year-old man. But in striking contrast to the community activism to address gun violence affecting young men, these groups have been conspicuously silent in response to Samuels’ horrific death. Samuels’ murder harkens back to the 1978-9 killings of 14 black women (many of whom were prostitutes) in Boston. The murders passed with little incident, demonstrating the expendability of black women’s lives. Too often, violence against women of color, especially poor women of color, is not viewed as an issue deserving collective response.
Politicizing violence against women need not mean calling for vengeance, capital punishment, “tough on crime” policies, increasing the prison-industrial complex – or, to use Clarence Thomas’s opportunistic characterization of Anita Hill’s sexual harassment allegations, the “lynching” of black men. INCITE’s stance towards the perpetrators of violence against women is no different than our stance towards the men of color who shoot other men: we must hold the system which produces this violence accountable!
INCITE believes that ultimately, women of color cannot rely on a criminal justice system that is racist, sexist, and fundamentally flawed to protect us from violence. But this makes it all the more critical that we organize ourselves and our communities to prevent violence against women, and hold perpetrators accountable through other strategies. Our organizing must include changing misogynist attitudes within our communities, because the system that perpetrates this violence is also a racist patriarchy that devalues women’s experiences.
Prosecutors say others in Samuels’ house heard her struggle as she fought for her life – but took no action. Later, Taylor boasted about the killing to his friends. On May 12, police arrested 34-year-old Rodrick James Taylor – who has a history of violence against women – for the murder.
The details of Samuels’ death demonstrate not only the entrenched attitudes that must be countered, so the community recognizes the urgency of protecting ourselves from violence against women – but also the potential for future intervention. We must develop creative strategies to defend ourselves, ranging from organizing tenant groups to monitor domestic violence, to setting up our own emergency intervention squads, to confronting perpetrators collectively with public shaming. For a longer list of exciting techniques shared by INCITE members nationally, as well as descriptions of organizations implementing them, please visit our website at www.inciteboston.blogspot.com.
Violence against women of color is systematic even if it remains ‘invisible.’ It can neither be taken for granted as normal, nor viewed as just a grotesque aberration. The invisibility of this violence is deeply connected to the racism, sexism, and exploitation embedded within the social fabric of American values. The ideal of the Missing/Murdered White Woman litters the news programs and newspapers, but very little regard is given to women of color who fall victim to the same atrocities. Aside from a small segment on CNN, Samuels’ murder received precious little national airtime. In contrast, the murder of 27-year-old, white Rachael Entwhistle was reported almost immediately after her death, and has received a tremendous amount of national coverage. Similarly, in May 30, 2005, a petite, attractive, and white 18-year-old, Natalee Hollaway, went missing in Aruba. Over one year later, her case is still being heavily discussed across the newswires, in contrast to countless missing black women.
Prioritizing women of color threatens to disrupt ideals of beauty, worthy victimhood, and femininity. But furthermore, it challenges the complicity of those men of color, male-dominated progressive organizations, and white feminists who marginalize the experiences of poor women of color. Much is at stake if the experiences of women of color, especially poor and working-class women of color, are really recognized.
Especially today, the supposed cause of “women of color” is a pet poster-child of the right-wing – for example, in their enterprises to bring “democracy” to Iraq or fight AIDS in Africa. But to truly give the needs of women of color central priority would reverse our definitions of heroes and villains. It would implicate the “brave” U.S. troops who slaughter and rape women of color; the government which ignores the high rates of AIDS among black women in the U.S., while crushing Third World countries with crippling debt; the border troops and bosses who sexually assault undocumented women at the border and in the workplace; neoliberal “free trade” policies which slash social services and impoverish women globally. Our invisibility is inextricably linked with the hierarchies that capitalist, racist, and imperialist exploitation are based on. We challenge people of color and the progressive left to expose this – and invite sisters to join us in organizing. We are the answer we have been waiting for. We must build new movements with a wider, deeper understanding of the system that must be changed.
The first step in correcting our marginalization by progressive movements and allies is so straightforward, it is an outrage it is neglected. The first step is simply for all of us to consistently ask and explore, how are various women of color, especially poor women of color, specifically being affected? Where are they, what are they doing, and what are their needs? Communities of color must shape the discourse surrounding women of color and our needs – and then respond – before the right-wing does.
For more info about INCITE! Boston or to get involved, visit www.inciteboston.blogspot.com, email inciteboston@yahoogroups.com or call 781-962-1983.
To download flyer form of this statement, click here.
