Don't Play me Small

Yesterday at Obama's CA rally at UCLA Oprah said [in response to folks that accuse her for supporting Obama b/c he's Black] "Don't play me small. I'm not that small. In media outlets, beauty salons, barbershops, dining rooms, blogs, etc folks are discussing the Democrat Primaries and Caucuses in terms of race or gender, rarely discussing the women that occur at the intersection--such as Black Women. As a Black woman I have difficulty disentangling my gender and my race--often because my gendered experiences are racialized and my racialized experiences are gendered. I, as well as other women of color, have other identities that intersect with my race and to create unique experiences. These identities include class, age, sexual orientation, geographic location etc. So these conversations about hope, the ideal candidate, and the pursuit of a true liberating agenda forced me to think about what issues women of color, Black women in particular should be forcing ALL candidates to address. As Oprah said..."Don't play me small" simply saying you will build coalitions, change politics as usual, are the first woman to... do little to eliminate issues that plague my community and my people, so don't try to play me for a fool.

1. Education -- Issues related to education often frame Black women as excelling, as compared to Black men. While it is true that we are currently enrolling in and graduating for colleges in larger numbers than Black men--we are still underperforming compared to the average white and Asian students. A Black Womanist agenda would not let conversations that pit Black male and female performance against each other, but would advocate for the overall improvement of institutions that serve Black children. What programs, specifically should we force candidates to discuss? Two programs come to mind Pell Grants and Early Childhood education, both programs that underwent SEVERE cuts during the Bush administration. Early childhood education is important for minimizing gaps that occur prior to school enrollment. Done correctly these programs engage families and improve educational performance Pell grant help decrease the debt load and increase the probability of low income students attending and completing college.

2. Health- Black women are contracting HIV at alarming rates, and our death rates are high (as compared to other groups) once we develop most chronic diseases. How will candidates' health plans improve the preventative and treatment care of Black women across age groups, particularly Black women of childbearing age--who are contracting HIV at such high rates? I would like candidates to talk specifically about how their healthcare plans will benefit urban communities in which the healthcare facilities leave much to be desired and in which many facilities do not accept HMOs, etc. I'd also like to hear more about the implications of their plans for rural communities. Rural communities are often let underserved, thus leaving its residents to suffer unfairly with ailments. MI has high rates of infant mortality--with mothers having to travel from 30mins to an hour to get prenatal care. Rural communities in NC are devastated by HIV/AIDS transmission. It spreads fast and there are few centers for treatment.

3. International--Contrary to popular belief, African Americans have international concerns. How does the current President intend to engage Black populations in the Diaspora? Topics that come to mind: 1) the extreme poverty in Haiti, 2) AIDS in Africa 3) Civil wars in Africa--in which African women are often subjected to horrific sexual assaults we cannot have Presidents that remain silent and apologize for millions of deaths years later... Also, what are the implications of immigration policy for immigrants of African descent?

4. Political --High rates of imprisonment of Black males have HEAVY consequences for Black women. Our fathers, sons, brothers, cousins, uncles, husbands, friends, and partners disproportionately rotate through the prison system. This enslavement/imprisonment has implications for Black women's health (HIV/AIDS), the stability of Black family relationships, the economic vibrancy of the Black community, our voting power, and much more...
Sexual -- Most conversations about the Black family are heterosexual, but there are members of the Black community that are LGBTQ or are allies of the LGBTQ community. We must not forget the implications of marriage and civil union policies for these brothers and sisters--particularly how it relates to their ability to pass financial resources to their partners, share healthcare coverage, and childrearing.

Economic/family-- There are several policies/laws in place to encourage or force Black fathers to pay child support (Barack supported a bill on "responsible fatherhood" this summer) How will these laws set up policies that acknowledge the financial positions of many African American Black men and their ability to pay child support--and how do they support the engagement of Black fathers in the family as opposed to encouraging detachment? What policies will the Presidents support to encourage economic growth in dying regions?

So___________ don't play me small because my issues are very big...

Well I'm tapped out for now. What other issues are important to a Black womanist agenda?