Summary Of The Exploitation Of Black Women In America

The Exploitation of the Black Woman In America

Malcolm X stated that “ The most disrespected person in America is the black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the black woman. The most neglected person in America is the black woman” which is a statement that I believe to be very true. In the article, “Feminist Intersections in Science: Race, Gender, and Sexuality Through the Microscope” by Lisa H. Weasel explores and highlights how science is affected by different elements of life: race, gender, and sexuality which are connected to the life of a Black woman named, Henrietta Lacks. Her cells were so controversial because for years, scientists spent countless amounts of time trying to keep cells alive outside of their environment,
but each time they failed, Her cells were the only cells that were able to thrive outside of their environment. Henrietta Lacks’ cells made a huge contribution to the world of science but the most contentious part of this case is that Henrietta Lacks had cancer and she went into the doctor’s office to diagnose a weird pain that she was experiencing in her abdomen and later a doctor diagnosed her with cervical cancer and while she was undergoing radiation treatments, the doctors removed cervical cells from her body without her nor her family’s consent or knowledge. Henrietta Lacks

Anderson2 was just one Black woman in America that has been exploited and taken from.
Not only have Black women been exploited in America through science,but in literature, and music as well.
Although the mistreatment of Black women has been prevalent in America for years, it all stemmed from what Black women had to endure during slavery.
Being Black in America is enough of a battle, but when your character is being imitated and mocked for millions to watch for their own amusement, that battle becomes even more of a struggle. Black women have been made a mockery of in the The United States since they were brought here against their wills along with their families. The cliche stereotype of the Angry Black woman stems from the pain that Black women have endured in this country for centuries. Like Henrietta Lacks, the Black woman’s character has been taken for the benefit of others. It has been said that behind every strong Black man, there is an even stronger Black woman; but what isn’t mentioned is how strong that woman has to be. Black women endure so much, including infidelity. Rose Maxson was a devoted and loving wife to her husband, Troy Maxson until she discovered that he was having an affair with another woman (Fences 1985). Even though she despised her husband and the woman that he had the affair with, when the woman died while giving birth to their child, Rose stepped up to the plate to take care of a motherless child.Ta-Nehisi Coates stated that, “The laments about ‘black pathology,’ the criticism of black family structures by pundits and intellectuals, ring hollow in a country whose existence was predicated on the torture of black fathers, on the rape of black mothers, on the sale of black children” (Between the World and Me). Now, Fences is a great example of why Black women have the right to be angry in America. Mostly all of the anger that Black women have is
because

Anderson3 of all the pain that is inflicted on them by the people around them. People have taken the Black woman’s anger and turned it into a way to create their own profit.
Most Black women have turned to musical genres such as Hip Hop and R&B to uplift each other and promote togetherness. For instance, women like Queen Latifah, Erykah Badu, and
Lauryn Hill make music that raises the self esteem of Black women, but the need for raising their self esteem not only comes from White people, but their fellow “Black brothers” as well. During slavery, Black women were not only exploited for their abilities to work for elongated periods of time, but also their ability to reproduce. Paralleled to Hip Hop and Rap music, there is an abundance of sexism and Black women are often degraded. The most popular Rap songs tend to have derogatory lyrics about Black women and often showcase them in their videos in a crude manner as “video girls”. Black women are often referred to by the usage of derogatory terms such as “b*tches”. In a popular song titled “Fresh Out/My Struggle by rapper, Kodak Black, he states “I don’t want no black bitch”. It is disrespectful to refer to any woman as that word, but it is even worse in this case because Kodak Black is Black himself. Not only is he showing how brainwashed he is to these European features, but he is also showing his ignorance due to his disliking of his own people. Black women are supposed to be able to turn to their Black brothers for support, respect, and encouragement, but instead they are distastefully talked about and torn down by the on group of people they they always believed that they could turn to.
Black women endure so much pain in America. They have been exploited and made fun of in this country for years, but there has not been a change; not in literature and not in music. Henrietta Lacks was not the only Black woman in America that has been used, her story was just showcased more than others, but it does not excuse the mistreatment of Black women in America.