Report His Butt! (Part 2 of a 4 part series) by Irrayna Pittman
Claiming my right as a human gives me the same rights as any other “being” regardless of sex or race, even if everyone else thinks otherwise. Why is this important?
It is important because an African-American woman is less likely than other women to report a rape. According to the Department of Justice, for every white woman who reports her rape, about 5 white women do not report theirs. The numbers are surprisingly higher for African-American women. For every African-American woman that reports her rape, about 15 African-American women do not report theirs. FIFTEEN!
An African-American woman is even more unlikely to report her rapist if he is a “brother” because of our history of racial injustice. We won’t report them to “the man,” because our rapist might be excessively punished as compared to our “just” rape. To betray our rapist is to betray the race. So we carry the weight of the race and “our” men on our backs. Literally.
We hurt in silence because we hush the incident for them, not for us. African-American women are less likely to get the help we need to heal. Victims of abuse are more likely to suffer from alcohol and drug abuse, depression and anxiety, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicidal behavior.
Now maybe you can understand the big deal about Gabrielle’s positive attitude and her intentional journey to healing after being raped. On the flip side, there’s: Rihanna.