The Color Purple's queer erasure, Coco Gauff reflects on failure, police kill Niani Finlayson
Plus, the reality of not trying to conceive, the best Black women film performances of 2023, mom-daughter duo defamed by Rudy Giuliani rewarded $148 million, farmers fight food injustice & more.
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THIS WEEK IN BLACK WOMEN NEWS
18 stories across global and national news, entertainment, crime, health, politics, sports, literature, and more.
Police killed Niani Finlayson seconds after responding to her 911 call, video shows
The Guardian, Sam Levin
“The Los Angeles sheriff’s department (LASD) released body-camera footage on Friday of an officer fatally shooting Niani Finlayson, 27, who had called 911 for help during a domestic violence incident.
The footage from the 4 December encounter showed that deputy Ty Shelton shot Finlayson four times within roughly three seconds of entering her home.
The killing in Lancaster, a city in north Los Angeles county, sparked national outrage last week, with civil rights activists questioning why deputies failed to de-escalate the conflict and instead used fatal force against a woman who had sought their assistance and was a victim of abuse.”
When you stop trying to get pregnant: ‘I’m not willing to put my body through any more’
The Guardian, Christina Coleman Mullen
“I had long ago convinced myself that my worth as a woman wasn’t in my ability to procreate; I valued my career, independence, and autonomy above all. And yet, when faced with what I believed to be a betrayal of my own body, I was left broken, guilty and feeling worthless. A deep depression followed my daughter’s death, compounded by insecurity and anxiety. And as a Black woman who had already struggled to find adequate and nuanced mental health resources, getting the right support for my situation felt insurmountable. The reality of not trying to conceive terrified me.”
If Only “The Color Purple” Had Loved All of Us
Autostraddle, Carmen Phillips
“There’s almost an air of discomfort, an unspoken agreement: “OK we’ll finally say Celie and Shug were gay for each other — but not too much now on our (straight) Sisterhood Icons.” As if Celie and Shug’s queerness isn’t at the root of the very sisterhood we proclaim to be honoring. The Color Purple has never been only about Black women saving each other. It’s about Black women finding beauty and worth in each other, in all aspects of who we are, and on this Alice Walker could not be more clear: that means in our bedrooms, too.”
RELATED:
“The Color Purple Still Hasn’t Gotten Shug & Celie’s Relationship Right After 41 Years,” Screenrant, Kayla Laguerre-Lewis
“The 40-year fight over ‘The Color Purple’s’ queer love story,” The Los Angeles Times, Ashley Lee
“The Compromises Of 'The Color Purple,” HuffPost, Candice Frederick
A pregnant lawmaker couldn’t vote remotely. So she changed the law.
The Washington Post, Lateshia Beachum
“Krystal Oriadha (D), who represents District 7, was eight months into her first pregnancy. The county’s health insurance plan didn’t cover birthing care in the county. And as a Black woman over 35, her pregnancy was considered high-risk. During meetings at county headquarters, she would munch on ice and pickles to quell her nausea, her swollen feet shoved into the neon sneakers that still fit.
But Oriadha, now 37, wanted to continue attending meetings, even if she couldn’t do so in person. Her fellow council members wouldn’t object, she thought, since the world had gotten used to conducting business over computers and smartphones during the pandemic. Plus, pregnancy and health-related reasons seemed sensible. She was wrong.”
The Best Performances Of The Year Came From Black Women, Whether They Get Awards Or Not
Refinery 29 Unbothered, Kathleen Newman-Bremang
“The only Black woman who is consistently showing up on these Oscar prediction lists is Da’Vine Joy Randolph for The Holdovers. Danielle Brooks and Fantasia might sneak in for The Color Purple (they both garnered Golden Globe noms) but as of right now, the odds are shockingly not looking in their favor. As good as all of these performances are, they aren’t the only Black actors whose work is worthy of recognition this year.
And knowing these institutions (aside from The NAACP Image Awards, which should be just as big of an honor as the Oscars), they probably will just pick one (likely Randolph, but even she’s wary of the fickleness of awards) to acknowledge and say ‘that’s enough Blackness for today!’ and keep it moving. Well, we are in the business of celebrating Black work and giving artists their flowers right on time, not long after their efforts have been overlooked for years.”
The 2 Black Election Workers Rudy Giuliani Lied On Just Got Their Revenge in Court and It's Rich
The Root, Candace McDuffie
“A jury in Washington, D.C. has awarded $148 million to the two Black women election workers defamed by Rudy Giuliani. Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss of Georgia will receive $40 million for emotional distress ($20 million each), $33 million for defamation (around $16 million each) and $75 million in punitive damages. […]
Earlier this week, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss testified about the trauma and harassment they endured after Rudy Giuliani falsely claimed they participated in ballot fraud to rig the 2020 election against Donald Trump.”
New York Post, Yaron Steinbuch
“JaMaiya Miller, 25, was out on delivery at the Belle Mead at River Oaks apartment complex near Houston on Dec. 16 and was buzzed into the complex by a resident, KHOU reported.
However, once she was in the building, the same resident who let her in to deliver the package told her she was not supposed to be there. Another woman showed up and the two unidentified women allegedly assaulted Miller. In a TikTok video posted by the Amazon worker, a woman is heard saying, ‘We’ve had thieves here and you’re thief!’”
3 Black Women Farmers Fighting Food Injustice
Word in Black, Alexa Spencer
“In August 2020, Ivy Lawerence-Walls started Ivy Leaf Farms in Houston’s Sunnyside neighborhood, a historically Black community designated as a food desert during the launch. She repurposed her family’s 5-acre plot into a community farm and vegetable garden. The farm grows and delivers okra, broccoli, carrots, collards, and other produce to local residents within specific zip codes. Beyond the farm, Lawrence-Walls co-founded Fresh Houwse Grocery, a farmer-owned, community-operated store in Sunnyside, and Black Farmer Box, a weekly box of seasonal, farm-raised products.”
NBC News, Natalie Kainz
“Just hours after Watts, 33, was admitted to a hospital for a life-threatening hemorrhage after she miscarried in her bathroom Sep. 22, police removed her toilet from her home and searched it for fetal remains, according to a GoFundMe set up to fund her legal expenses and home repairs.
‘Ms. Watts suffered a tragic and dangerous miscarriage that jeopardized her own life. Rather than focusing on healing physically and emotionally, she was arrested and charged with a felony and is fighting for her freedom and reputation,’ her attorney, Traci Timko, said in a statement.”
Author Myisha Cherry Wants Black Women To Offer Forgiveness On Their Own Terms
ESSENCE, Keyaira Boone
“She labels this approach an attempt at ‘superficial repair’ or ‘thrifty repair.’ Police brutality is an extreme example, but the need for radical repair applies to microaggressions, infidelity, and other common yet significant misdeeds. Any Black woman on the internet who has been commanded to ‘educate’ someone who has offended them on the spot has felt the pressure to accept an attempt at a thrifty repair-style solution.
‘Black women bear a lot. We bear a lot for our families. We’re made to bear a lot for the world,’ says Cherry. She rejects the idea that Black women should put respectability politics over their well-being. ‘The strong Black woman stereotype can be empowering, but it also can be disappearing because it seems to give people a lot of permission to mess us over,’ she says.”
Being at her lowest helped ASB Classic's top seed Coco Gauff reach new heights
Stuff, David Long
“Defending ASB Classic Champion Coco Gauff doesn’t feel it was her US Open final win over Aryna Sabalenka that defined her 2023 season, but her first-round defeat at Wimbledon to Sofia Kenin.
Of course, Gauff winning her first grand slam title at the age of 19 will always be a special memory for her, but she believes if she hadn’t made such a quick exit at Wimbledon a couple of months before, the triumph in New York wouldn’t have happened.”
Cheri Beasley on the promise, the work and the peril of campaigning as a Black woman
The 19th News, Candice Norwood
“Beasley is aware of the collective hardships Black women candidates face — from the lack of robust financial investment to blatant racism. These difficulties keep some Black women from running for office altogether. Brown James and Brown both said there is little evidence that support for Black women candidates from the political establishment has improved since Beasley’s loss.
Despite the continued challenges, Beasley said she sees the positives of her campaign. She has demonstrated that Black women can be competitive candidates who can raise large amounts of money and connect with a wide sector of a state population.”
Opinion: When the pay gap decimates the wages of even a top Hollywood star
CNN, Sophia A. Nelson
“That is why Henson’s anguish over this issue is spot-on — it captures what being underpaid does to Black women’s emotional well-being. It’s akin to the harm we suffer when doing the hard work of getting an education confronting similarly difficult odds. Or when we win awards for our work but still are not deemed good enough to be compensated on par with what White colleagues are paid.
So what is the way forward? I think it starts with high-profile Black women like Henson calling out this disparity loudly and clearly: ‘I’m just tired of working so hard, being gracious at what I do, getting paid a fraction of the cost,’ Henson told Gayle King on SiriusXM.”
The Guardian, Leila Latif
“It starts with a familiar setup. Boy meets girl, boy takes girl back to his flat, boy won’t take no for an answer. Fortunately for the girl, he’s drastically underestimated her and she tosses him on to his back then uses her powers to feast upon his life force. This exhilarating moment of feminine retribution is not just a gripping introduction to the BBC’s new supernatural series, Domino Day, but the first moment that crystallised in the mind of show creator Lauren Sequeira.”
Fired St. Aug’s president claims hostile environment for Black women in complaint
The News & Observer, Dan Kane
“McPhail said throughout her tenure at St. Augustine’s that board members have “spoken to me in hostile and demeaning tones, and denigrated my work, in a manner the trustees have never directed at male employees.”
‘When I challenged such conduct, the male trustees would dismiss my concerns, claiming I needed to be ‘less sensitive,’ and accusing me of going ‘in the gender direction,’’ her complaint said.
The trustees particularly berated her and other female employees for discussing financial matters, she said. The university struggled financially long before she took the helm, and a key issue threatening its accreditation is the lack of annual audits for the past two years.”
Inside Climate News, Victoria St. Martin
“Bhavna Shamasunder, an associate professor of urban and environmental policy at Occidental College, who, like Franklin, collaborated with Zota on the intimate care products study, said that manufacturers of personal care products often frame routine bodily functions—such as odors and the skin darkening that occurs during pregnancy—as matters that require the use of douches, skin lighteners or other cosmetics.
‘The beauty industry paints these things as problems that you can fix by buying a whole array of products,’ she said. For those with low incomes, that kind of marketing can be potent because many of the products that contain harmful chemicals are less expensive than the products that don’t have them.”
Fortune, Akilah Wise
“Carol did her research and turned to friends to learn their strategies for dealing with the fallout from divorce. She says being single has made her agile in preparing for aging and the future. She’s ‘ready to pivot,’ as she calls it. As a result, she’s modified her will and invested more of her income in her long-term disability insurance, and each year, she reassesses her plans and financials. When seeking mental and financial support as a single woman, Carol says she turns to her trusted circle that she calls her ‘Senior Cabinet.’”
RELATED:
“Racialized Ageism Against Black Women: It’s a real thing,” Insight News, Irma McClaurin
How To Advocate For Black Women With Invisible Illnesses In The Workplace
Forbes, Bianca Barratt
“‘The inconvenience and liability of my hospital appointments started to cause resentment among colleagues because I had the most comfortable and flexible hours, and there were days when I appeared healthier than them. Sometimes, past employers would make mean comments under their breath, hoping that I wouldn’t hear, but I did.’ The struggle extended beyond mere workplace dynamics as well, because although discrimination laws protected Natalie from direct dismissal due to her illness, employers were still able to adopt subtle tactics to make her work environment as uncomfortable as possible - which they did. This ultimately led her to make the decision to resign once again.”
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