By Dr. Sheila Pope
Khufere Qhamata you asked me why am I wasting time on Facebook addressing the high number of deaths African American women dying due to partner violence by African American men. You said folks do not care about black on black crime. I know you are telling me the truth. SOME do not care to hear or read about it. I know African Americans do not want to expose our business in the streets. Yet I keep reading about black women dying in the streets at the hands of their black male partners. The image of a black man lying dead on top of the body of the woman he said he loved was just too much to unsee.
Image from Facebook Post
I looked at their Facebook pages and I saw a young man and woman singing together, holding hands together, and even clubbing together. Four days later, they are dead together in the street at a gas station.Our business is in the streets literally and figuratively! We are telling the world Black Lives Matter. We are demanding to be treated with respect by the police and by all Americans.
Couple died due to murder-suicide in Houston, Texas. Image from Facebook
Then, I see two African American lives lost in the most horrific manner. I know this is the time to speak up. I was shook after seeing his body suppressing her body in death. He took her life and then he robbed his own family of his life. He robbed her children of a different life.
I feel it is important and my duty to bring it up because this movement has made some headway. I felt it might be the right time because we are talking about equality. After all, George Floyd’s last words were about his African American mother.
When black men get into trouble their mothers, aunts, and sisters are normally the first line of defense. We are the first to post bond, sell assets, and do whatever to get them out of trouble (jail). We do not care if they are guilty or innocent. We are going to get our “babies”. We are the ones putting money on books. We are the ones writing letters and paying high phone bills when they call from prisons many did not belong inside of but are still there. We are the ones travelling great distances to visit them when non of their partners in crime make the journey.
We are the one buying the uniforms and paying for football and 🏀 camps. We are the ones raising them when some of their fathers disappear on the way to the store. We are the ones at the schools trying to get them a “free ride” to college. We are the ones getting our sons to games. We are in the stands watching. We are raising money for your teams. We are the ones sending our last when they are at college and struggling. Micheal Jordan asked his mother to send stamps when he was attending Duke. We are the ones in urban school district working hard to show others that black male students are intelligent leaders, future businessmen, and comedians, and not are just jocks. We are the ones when they lose everything because of their dumb decisions we open our doors to give them a safe place to return and rebound.
I thought black men marching in the BLM protests saw black women walking next to them, behind them, and in the front of them! We were organizing non-violent marches too. African American female attorneys were volunteering their services to help them when they got arrested. I think my first radio program will be on this topic because it is my duty to try to remind US to treat our women with more respect. So, I am moving this Conversations With Dr. Pope from my Facebook platform to my radio show on DFW DEN RADIO Station . Khufere, thanks for the 💡. I can produce a docuseries and show it on my POPE Television Channel on ROKU.
Courtesy of Dr. Sheila Pope
Again, African American women need the support of African American men to help US flourish and show US in a powerful light. I still love African American men and I believe in strong Black families. I know it takes strong black women to help empower other black men. I also know sisters are working on RESPECTING our men. We are aware of the lack of respect they receive. We HEAR and SEE your pain. Yet your pain cannot lead to our deaths! Moreover, our love of brothers and all of their shortcomings and strengths should not lead to our deaths!
Our partners, lovers, business partners, and protectors should not turn into our killers. I must continue to talk about the issue because I still love and desire the love of a black man. I am the mother of two sons. I am the sister of six brothers. I serve in communities of color. God has given me the platform to raise the questions so He can show US our power when we fight together to end inequality. We cannot talk about others hating us if we cannot address the hate towards blacks of women within our community.
