To Protect and Serve ; But At What Cost?

"A woman has strengths that amaze me, she can handle trouble and carry heavy burdens, she holds happiness, love and opinions. She smiles when she feels like screaming. She sings when she feels like crying. Cries when she's happy, and laughs when she's afraid, her love is unconditional, there's only one thing wrong with her and that is that sometimes she forgets what she is worth." - Unknown

[Sidenote: "Phenomenal Woman" is a GREAT poem! I suggest you read it :) ]

Although I'm not sure who said this quote, after reading To Protect and Serve: African American Female Literacies, it seemed to grasp a majority of the thoughts I had about this article.  Elaine Richardson although uplifts the work and endurance of the black female and in particular a mother, or motherly figure,  she left me with an almost bitter realization of what many people may ignore. In the first paragraph of this piece Richardson writes, "Young Black females often struggle to invent themselves against the distorted images of 'money hungry heartless bitch,' 'Jezebel,' and good ole 'Mammy' among others...." (676).  At this point in the reading I could understand what would prompt Richardson to make these statements. Because this sort of language has been used so frequently towards the African-American population, it has also been adopted by many of it's inhabitants, whether right or wrong.  Richardson also references the stereotype of the "heartless Nigger bitch" in the next paragraph (676).  As someone who is directly and indirectly insulted by such language and comments towards women that I believe to be some of the greatest in history, I originally processed these paragraphs as simply what OTHER people were classifying African-American woman as. 

However, later on in this piece, Richardson speaks on the character Mamy Lou who hid a man who was on the run under her quilt between her legs when the "padddyroolers" came looking for him.  Further along in this very paragraph Richardson writes, "The ultimate struggle for Black females is to retain proper love of self and significant others without becoming or being seen as heartless bitches for the choices they make" (684). 

After reading this sentence, I was more enraged than I had been at the original statement collecting all the degrading names African-American women have been given.  Through reading this selection of the piece, it's almost suggested that unless black woman take life-threatening risks and prove their "unconditional love" for all, that we were subjected to being labeled as "heartless bitches."  I was almost as disgusted that Richardson choose to use this as the reason behind Mamy Lou taking the action that she did. If black women are "supposed" to be creatures of love and nurture and protection, why would these sorts of actions be taken simply to put disclosure to the idea that we are "heartless bitches"?

With that in mind, this quote began to ring in my head. No matter what trials and struggles black woman are EXPECTED to go through, such as hide a man under her quilt or kill her child to protect them, what sympathies is she given? Who is there in return to provide these comforts for her? If there is no one to secure this position,  it can be legitimately induced that the black woman truly does carry the weight of the world on her shoulders. Although this can be seen as both a positive and negative circumstance, there is truth behind it.  

Works Cited:
Richardson, Elaine. "'To Protect and Serve': African American Female Literacies." College Composition and Communcation, Vol. 53, No. 4 (Jun 2002): 675-704. NCTE JSTOR. Web. 13 Jan. 2010.