Facebook Publication Date: 4/9/2022 15:04

I’m going to say more about this in a LoR Hot Take (I think I’m now up to 6 I have to do today!), but since it had to go to my personal feed first, I’ll say a little bit here.

I think Mary Katherine Backstrom gets it mostly right, but like so many times when white people who strive to be allies give their take on racialized events, they don’t go (nearly) far enough.

I absolutely agree with her that what happened was heinous, what happened to the young woman in 2022 as well as what happened to the young woman 20 years before at her cheerleading practice.

But I do notice something that goes on a lot in the here and now, that’s playing out here as well.

Representation matters.

But being willing to ‘go there’ in the analysis matters as well.

There is more insidious than she realizes.

What do *you* think is missing?

Don’t miss the Hot Take!

Edited to add:

Thank you, Mary Katherine, for being here with us! I do look forward to your comments and Reflections, and those of your followers as well. I didn’t want this piece to get buried, I I am indeed going to do my hot take, but I also wanted to get a sneak peek of what I was going to say. Here it is! Would love everyone’s reflections on this as well.

–Mary Katherine Backstrom I’m glad you are. I’m going to be posting up my hot take later today!

This is the week I’m burying my mother, so I’m taking things a bit easy in preparation for what I know is going to be an emotional day on Thursday.

But I will give a bit of a preview for you and everyone else.

I don’t want to keep anybody in suspense.

I posit that it is both about hair and personal autonomy and historical perspective, which I really appreciate your and your colleague bringing up.

I contend that this is intentional.

That this is a way to curb and censure not only our looks, but also our talents and achievements.

Not by accident these kinds of policing occur when we are on the brink of a significant achievement.

It’s another way of placing shackles on us and then berating us for non-performance and extrapolating that onto other black women and girls.

I’ll say more about it in the essay on the hot take, but I will say Mary Katherine I am so grateful that you are indeed willing to show up. It’s a big deal.

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