Korryn Gaines and the Plight of Black Femme Radicals

It's been said that Korryn Gaines was more militant than most of these brothers in the movement. I couldn't agree more. This young woman, mother and freedom fighter, was slain in her home. Her son had to witness the harassment and fear tactics played by law enforcement  up until her death. The way society presented her was of course in a demonizing light, because let's be real, the media ain't here for black liberation and black women all the same. Society deemed her "too aggressive" and "a trouble maker". They called Korryn a neglectful mother and mentally unstable. All this is triggering. Unfortunately, it is not even the worst part.


Personally, what bothers me the most about her death was the gross outpoor of black folks, particularly women, who victim blamed her. They called her "stupid". They claimed she didn't care about her kids. They said she should of made her court date. All these disturbing statements that completely ignore the fact that those officers came to her house dressed for a showdown. They ignore the harassment Korryn experienced with her state police. They avoid the oh so common reality of police brutality. Instead, they scrutinize a dead woman while her son is in the hospital fighting for his life.



The gross amount of black women who abandoned Korryn was alarming. It is awing to me, a woman of color could learn what happened to Korryn Gaines and fault her. Do we quickly forget how the police have no regarded for colored women? They want us to be feeble, to not stand for ourselves. Let us reflect back to Sandra Bland, another woman who didn't succumb to police and their power trips. She stood up for herself and acted on behalf of black liberation and inevitably paid for it with her life. Black women had Sandra's back, so why aren't we boldly saying "Korryn Gaines"?

Black women being unprotected isn't new. We've been challenging our brothers to fight for us the way we fight for them. We've pointed out how too often black women are on the forefront of right about every action in the name of a murdered black man. We're organizing those actions and taking the front lines for our brothers. Once again this issue is nothing new. And refreshingly enough, a handful of men in my networks spoke in light and reverence for Korryn Gaines. But it's not about a handful of men acknowledging the wrongs done to Korryn. It's about the collective standing up, fighting and saying her name.


If we [black women] do not fight for us then who? We can't be blinded by respectability politics and make Korryn the scapegoat. A young 23 year old with two kids who had a smart mouth is what a lot of people will remember her as. However, Sandra Bland could easily be labeled one also. But that's not the same right, since Sandra was educated, middle class and spoke well?

Wrong.

We must combat the parallels of the youth and then respecting authority. The youth are often unheard and disrespected. This generation doesn't care about respecting elders and authority for the sake of diplomacy. If an authority figure is wrong, we will call them out to their face. We will hit back. We are not sticking to the role of dumb and naïve. Society put that on us and we're letting it go.

We also need to stop feeding into the "crazy ghetto black girl" stigma. So many black women still play into respectable women politics, and does nothing to get us free. If we pick and choose which black women we'll fight for, we'll get nowhere and fast.

Korryn Gaines didn't have a mental illness. She didn't neglect her kids. She wasn't a loud mouth. She wasn't aggressive.


Korryn gaines was a freedom fighter and she taught me how to fight. She was a well endowed community member. She was militant. Rebellious. She recognized her second amendment. She was beautiful inside and out. She was a mother doing her best. She was an educator. She was a threat to business as usual. We must not be too quick to forget our former revolutionists and recall their militant tendencies. How about it are we? Are we truly seeking transformation? What is worth dying for? Do we want a revolution?


I hope that black women will love on her and say her name. I hope they fight for her and follow her lead. We have to remember we do this to beat capitalism and patriarchy. We cannot muddy up Korryn's name. So many of us are still walking on eggshells with oppressive powers and Korryn is showing us we don't have to. We can be femme and free. As femme, I want to be unapologetic like Korryn. I'm older than her but she is my role model. She taught her kids to fight and stand up for something. Korryn is a femme militant revolutionist hero!