Denied Pain - Rapes/Sexual Assaults on Black Women #saartjie #mentalhealth #rape

The image of the Black woman has been violated for ~1000 years. We have NEVER been respected for our humanity, femininity or decency. In light of the brazen belittling images arising in media this MUST STOP!

EVERYDAY 1 out of 4 Black Women are ASSAULTED! Be it SEXUAL ASSAULT, RAPE, ABUSE and etc.

It is the position of The Ari | af | ya Universe that any assault made against a woman of African descent is a psychopathic bigoted one. The Ari | af | ya Universe has ZERO TOLERANCE for any violation of women of African descent.

In light of the Ms. Tara Hill beating in Morrow, Georgia on September, 2009: The Ari | af | ya Universe will take an strong stance against all persons who violate women of African descent using all social media channels, blogs and websites.




The reason for this stance is the ignorance portrayed about rape and sexual assault in the African American community, especially against women. This is about young people and dispelling myths of appropriate sexual and intimate contact between two consenting adults. I can quote statistics all day but here is what I see:

• Newly infected HIV rates in Black Women are 23 times the rate of caucasian women
  
• High unmarried birth rates among Black teenage girls
  
• High single-never married rates among Black Women for all education levels
  
• High rates of Black Women who have had no positive male role models in any life stage
  
• Increased risk of violent assaults: rape, sexual, abuse of Black women of all ages

Given these incendiary statistics, how are Black Women being protected by the current laws. Given that social injustice exacerbates health disparities (Gravelee et al. 2009, PLoS), then how is the United States protecting its citizens, particularly Black Women?

Given the behavior of Serena Williams appearing "so menacing" to a referee, to be charged $10,000 for her inappropriate behavior, whereas, meanwhile Federer who behaved similarly is charged nothing. Given the humiliation of an 18 year old woman Ms. Semanya in South Africa and an overt broadcast of her genitalia in the name of science indicates that there is a discrepancy in the view of Black Women by racist ideology of some people GLOBALLY. Then the mainstream media does little to protect the images of women of African descent and appropriate thoughts of womanist protections on this fragile community.

As a result, Black women congregate in various areas to find support. However, without directed support these same women unknowingly pass on the mythology about assaults rather than leading to their own healing. This exacerbates our mental illness, particularly depression and PTSD without resolution in a vicious cycle. That is not health care! That is not spiritual care! That is not mindful care! THIS IS NOT HUMAN!

RAINN has a excellent resource on what rape is. Basically, it varies from state to state, but there are some baseline information:

• RAPE is forced sexual intercourse, including vaginal, anal, or oral penetration. Penetration may be by a body part or an object.

Causes of rape, Motivation for rape, or Who is the rapist: There are many theories that why some people rape. However, it is of the professional opinion of The Ari | af | ya Universe that rape has both psychological and social theories and uses psychosis, power and control in all human relationships, it is similar to that for domestic violence, but rape is an extreme outcome of that violence.

It is NOT the view of The Ari | af | ya Universe that it rape stems from anger as a reason to explain away the violence. Unrestrained anger can drive harm, but saying "she made me angry" is an excuse to explain away the inability to control anger one's behavior. It is NOT the view of the The Ari | af | ya Universe that violence is the sole reason for rape. Silence is NOT consent in rape! Just because the rape was not violent, does not mean it was NOT rape! Regardless of the causes or motivations of rape, ALL VICTIMS NEED SUPPORT!!!

Here are is a brief list of online resources immediately available:

• RAINN - Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network
  
• Pandora's Project
  
• After Silence blog
  
• US DOJ Office of Violence Against Women
  
• National Domestic Violence Hotline

Unfortunately, in the United States, when one gets rape, her/his healing is all dependent upon self-energy. THAT IS NOT HEALTHY! But it is, what it is. As a result, if you have been raped, what are your next steps? Here are some suggestions:

If you have just experienced rape, sexual assault, etc. please call 911 immediately! What law enforcement will do is ascertain your status, could give you a "rape kit" where they can collect evidence, they will write up a detailed report and move forward legally. No one is sensitive in this process. But you are not alone. Some crisis clinics can assist you through some small aspects of healing. Believe me, you are not alone, I KNOW! I KNOW!!!

The issue is not who is wrong or right, the issue is public health code violations in this day of HIV/AIDS and other sexual transmitted infections as well as pregnancy. This is a HEALTH concern and you have the right to appropriate health care: mental, physical, and spiritual devoid of judgment.

LET NO ONE CONVINCE YOU OTHERWISE!

If you have experienced rape, sexual assault but not immediately or recently (it has been over 5 years) the following work is a suggestion that you could be do. Remember gradual transition into each stage requires your careful consideration at your own speed on your own time.

• Trauma mental health work
  
• Regaining one's sense of self through some root-cause therapy & positive coaching
  
• Pursuit of one's own sexual self-expression and intimacy

It is the professional opinion of The Ari | af | ya Universe the at this stage often YEARS later than the incident, these are the key perspectives that one can keep in mind: Defining/Re-defining of one's sexual self; Positive sexual role models/intimacies/relationships; Complementary Alternative Medicine/Holistic Therapies - Vodoun, Kama Sutra and Tantra methods.

Black women and their sexual nature has been assaulted for over 1000 years. The images of Black Women in various artistic renditions, ridiculous caricatures to humiliating music video clearly show that this image is inappropriate. Moreover it is damaging the self-image/self-esteem of our girls who are high risks for many health conditions. And to recoup the full potential of our girls are wonderful and valued people within humanity, violations on the most quintessential being that reaches divinity is spiritually unjust. And the Universe will respond in kind for how the least among us will be treated... The violent images and crimes against Black women will be a longterm debt that humanity will pay, maybe with its continuity in life!

I welcome all respectful comments or criticisms.

Dr. Gina L. Moore-Sanders
The Ariafya Universe
Founding Member & President

References:

Gravlee CC, Non AL, Mulligan CJ (2009) Genetic Ancestry, Social Classification, and Racial Inequalities in Blood Pressure in Southeastern Puerto Rico. PLoS ONE 4(9): e6821. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0006821
RAINN.org
Pandys.org
NDVH.org
Myvoiceaftersilence.wordpress.com
Motivations for rape
Rape - Causes Of Rape
CDC HIV/AIDS in women
Wikipedia's Domestic Violence

The image of the Black woman & mental health politics.

This video:



Is disturbing to say the least. I had wild and out there hair like the little girl. My mom knew very little about a little girl's hair, and I was born with a lot of it. With the technology improving from strict lye-based straighteners to non-lye-based to hot combs to ceramics what makes this video disturbing is the mother knew little of it, while her older child filmed and ridiculed the baby for her hair.

What is even worse is we think we have advanced with securing ourselves and finding beauty. But the images of beautiful Black women remain unchanged in the last 40 years. Long bone straight hair or good hair not happy to be nappy kinks reflective of our true heritage.

It is the take of The Ariafya Universe that this oppression of the image of the Black woman is demeaning and that Youtube removes this video as objectionable content. It is NOT only painful because the baby girl is crying while getting her hair combed--in fact is done incorrectly--it is wrong because this little girl's self-image is obliterated because she does not have hair similar to that of Barbie's or other women who have straight hair. She will visualize herself as "ugly" because her hair is nappy or has kinks. And she will spend millions of dollars to have hair pleasurable to an oppressive society to diverse woman's beauty.

How come she cannot have braids or loqs? How come she cannot be allowed to have her hair nappy until she is old enough to get her hair done? Because, people judge these children as unkempt, nasty, impoverished and sickly. If the department of health and social services saw this video, the children would be removed. But if they saw the children with ungroomed hair, they will STILL remove the children. While I do not think the mother intentionally hurt the child and probably waited a long time before she got her children together because of their behavior, the baby still was in pain for how her hair was handled. She used a brush rack, rather than a pick or comb. The mother used some kind of water-based relax solution, rather than a gel or cream on the scalp. There are ways to comb thick hair like that little girl's hair, and what we see was NOT it.

Is our image of ourselves so poor that we have resorted to torturing ourselves and our children to reach beauty standard not made by us, not formed by us? Has technology truly reached us since Madame CJ Walker's straightening comb that uses heat to sear the hair's outer core, cortex and medulla? Our sebaceous cells that form our hair to make it kinky are short and wide. Is there not something we could take, without losing our hair that would straighten it over time, like "Rogaine" products. And only Redken's products make changes to our hair, healthy? Not glamours like the Pantene ProV hair commercials with color--products, not make for African American women...

I discuss these concepts with some of my stylists quite a bit. But, alas, there is nothing I can do to change concepts from the scientific end, because those concepts are rooted deep into racist beliefs, and how psychologically, an African American can still be a slave to its environment. 150 years has not changed a perception that pervaded in North American, particular the United States for over 500 years. Until then, the image of the Black woman and mental health politics will lose lives.




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