We should all be Black Feminists (Until the non-heteronormative Black woman is free, we will never be free).

Prof. Dr. Gloria Wekker & I at BE.BOP 2018: Coalitions Facing White Innocence
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This post was originally published on Facebook on Monday September 17th, 2018: 

In my book, I write about the Combahee River Collective but I neglected to write that it was a Black Lesbian collective. I ommitted the word "lesbian" not on purpose, but because of my own ignorance embedded in my extremely heteronormative socialization and lapse in self-interrogation on how this has influenced my gaze. I now understand the violence of that omission and I apologize for this. It was something I spoke to Prof. Dr. Gloria Wekker about when I had the privilege of meeting her this past summer at BE.BOP 2018 and I had asked her how I could remedy it. This is part of this remedy - and of course it will be rectified in future printings. I'm writing about this now, because when I read the manifesto of the Combahee River Collective - the words resonated with me. There can be no liberation until the Black Lesbian/Queer or other non-binary identifying Black woman is free. I write this because I've been thinking about the Black queer/lesbian women in my life. Whose support I could not do without. I write this from a space where there is a lot of talk about decolonization, racism and anti-Black racism, yet many of us are slow or reluctant to examine how we ourselves have been impacted by the internalization of these oppressions. The proof is in how we treat Black women who do not fit into the heteronormative model. If your organization or movement does not at least include non-western Queer/lesbian identifying women in the forefront, then your movement in my eyes, is not about liberation.

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