Some groups want our rhythm, our language, our beautyâbut not our justice. They say they care about Black women. They post our photos.Quote our hero
Some groups want our rhythm, our language, our beautyâbut not our justice.
They say they care about Black women.
They post our photos.
Quote our heroes.
Find one or two of us to speak on their stages.
And stillâ
behind the scenes, beneath the policies,
they harm women.
They harm children.
They harm Survivors.
Hate groupsâand those aligned with themâtokenize Black women not because they respect usâŠ
But because they need our credibility to cover their cruelty.
Hereâs How the Game Works:
Step 1: Find a Black woman willing to echo their talking points.
Step 2: Give her a platform, a microphone, a paycheck.
Step 3: Point to her every time someone names the harm.
âHow can we be hateful? She agrees with us.â
But donât be fooled.
Thatâs not representation. Thatâs not equity. Thatâs exploitation.
Let me say this with love and clarity:
Any âmovementâ that:
Justifies the rollback of womenâs rights
Tramples on childrenâs safety
Attacks Survivors and silences truth
âŠis not pro-Black. Not pro-family. Not pro-woman.
Even if a Black woman is standing at the podium.
Tokenism has a purpose:
To distract.
To divide.
To destabilize movements built by and for women and children.
It mimics the language of loveâwhile pushing policies of harm.
What Theyâre Really Saying:
âWe canât be harmfulâweâve got a Black woman on our side.â
âWe donât need to listen to those womenâweâve got a different Black woman over here.â
âYouâre the angry kind. Sheâs the agreeable kind.â
We were not born to be useful tools in someone elseâs oppression.
Not as shields.
Not as symbols.
Not as silence.
They may try to buy your silence.
To flatter your platform.
To wrap their violence in your skin.
But we remember who we are.
Daughters of truth-tellers.
Mothers of movements.
Survivors of every storm.
Black women were never meant to be the face of someone elseâs violence.
Donât let your legacy be used to dismantle the safety of other women and children.
Just because they picked you doesnât mean theyâll protect you.
The one who lends her voice to silence will one day be silenced too.
And to Those Who Think We Can Be Used:
We see you.
We name what youâre doing.
And we are not confused.
Tokenism is not liberation.
Representation without justice is not freedom.
And no amount of Black faces can cover up the damage youâre doing to women and children.
We will not be the face of your harm.
We will not lend our voices to your lies.
We are the truth-tellers. The protectors. The ones who remember.
And weâre not backing down.
You canât tokenize truth and expect silence.
If it harms women and children, it is not liberationâitâs strategy.
A borrowed voice cannot sing a freedom song.
Not now.
Not ever.
*fyi-randoms online inserting faux concern for Black women being “hurt” for testing that will ensure the safety and protection of spaces of for women girls uses this same tactic. There is no true or authentic concern for Black women. The only concern is for men to push past the boundaries and rights of women and children.
đ Affirmations
1. I will not be used to harm those I was born to protect.
2. My voice cannot be rented. My values cannot be bought.
3. I stand for truth, even when they dress up lies in my likeness.
4. I do not need a stage to be powerful. I need truth to be free.
5. I will not mistake a spotlight for safety.
6. I am rooted in the wisdom of women who would not bow to harm.
7. I choose alignment over applause. Purpose over platform.
8. I am not afraid to lose favor. I am afraid to lose myself.
9. I do not carry their shame. I carry ancestral power.
10. My liberation will never require the suffering of women or children.