The Disrespect, Oh, The Disrespect

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Hello friends,

There are moments that stand out to every woman racialised* as Black. One such moment is when you see another Black woman visibly disrespected, and it happens a lot.

Earlier this year, we saw it in the US when Bruce Fischer refused to shake Vice President Kamala Harris' hand. That very public, high profile disrespect - and what looked like loathing - mirrors what happens often in organisations and public spaces everywhere, and it's not limited to the US, either.

Examples of Disrespect

As Black women, we've ALL experienced versions of it in a variety of settings:

• The people who look at your hand then ostentatiously ignore it

• The people who shake your hand then wipe their hand as if you were diseased

• The shop assistants who don't want to take money from your hand

• The shop assistants who drop your change on the counter rather than put it in your hand

• The people who assume you don't know anything about whatever the topic is under discussion and start to whitesplain it to you

• The people who visibly recoil when they see you

• The people who make assumptions about what's available to you

• The people whose assumptions mean they consider you less capable, less comfortable or simply less than

And these are just off the top of my head based on what I've personally experienced. I'm sure there are many other examples, too.

Why This Happens