Misogynoir: Search Your Heart and Ask What You and Your God are Doing to Black and Poor People
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground” (Gen. 1:26, NIV).
What does it mean to rule over or have "dominion" over the earth? What is the responsibility humanity has for the environment today? While many people are now aware of the ecological concerns within theology, fewer people are aware of environmental racism and its pernicious effects upon vulnerable communities.
Recently, Attorney Raya Salter provided testimony during a Congressional hearing, to reveal the impact of environmental negligence for such communities. During her testimony, however, Representative Clay Higgins referenced this attorney as "boo" and "young lady." Both references were widely experienced as disrespect to a professional woman providing testimony.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez responded with a startling a bold statement, that if he treats women this way in public, "I fear how you treat women in private." As the US has moved to reinstate patriarchal controls over women's bodies, exposing them to renewed medical vulnerability, this outright form of antagonism should serve as a rallying cry to wake up and stand up for the wholeness of humanity.
Patriarchy is rooted in both misogynistic assumptions of women who are seen as the enemy to common sense economics, and also Blackness which is seen as expendable. Patriarchy is not only harmful to those who appear vulnerable. It is also harmful to the powerful. If we look at the anger and rage of those who "fear replacement" by anyone or any idea that is different, we see a fragility which can potentially destroy us all.
Just like Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who immediately addressed the blatant disrespect shown by her colleague, Mr. Higgins, we must name misogynoir when we see it instead of giving it cover in the fissures of moral apathy. We must align ourselves with integrity of purpose. The goal of the Congressional hearings is to learn more so that equitable decisions can be made - not protect the right to "have dominion" over the earth (and its people) to line our pockets. Christians are not called to pimp out the Earth's resources to the highest seller.
If you witness this type of harm, call it out. If you are informed you are bullying others, listen and inhabit that space of discomfort in order to allow yourself to grow. Finally, we must be aware that, when we are the ones who behave as bullies in public spaces, we are often creating private and unmitigated pain within our communities and the world around us.
The Misogynoir to Mishpat (M2M) Research Network (c) 2023
‘I fear how you treat women in private’:
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez eviscerated Republican congressman Clay Higgins for his treatment of female climate experts during a Congressional hearing on Thursday.
Accusing the Louisiana congressman of disrespecting Raya Salter, a lawyer and clean energy advocate during her testimony on corporations and climate change before the House Oversight Committee, the Democratic congresswoman said: “Men who treat women like that in public, I fear how they treat them in private.”
It followed after Mr. Higgins referred to Ms. Salter as “young lady” and “boo” in a heated exchange during the hearing as she told the congressman that “the fossil fuel industry that owns your state is destroying the Earth and the natural world”. (See the video here.)
"In the four years that I’ve sat on this committee, I have never seen members of Congress, Republican or Democrat, disrespect a witness in the way that I have seen them disrespect you today. I do not care what party they are in. I’ve never seen anything like that,” she said while addressing Ms. Salter, the executive director and founder of the Energy Justice Law and Policy Center.
“For the gentleman of Louisiana and the comfort he felt in yelling at you like that, there’s more than one way to get a point across.”
Apologizing for the behavior on behalf of the committee, the Democrat added: “I would hope that someone would issue you an apology, but because I don’t believe he will, I want to apologize to you about the conduct of this committee and what we just witnessed.”
Earlier during the hearing, Mr. Higgins began his time by asking Ms. Salter what she would do with petrochemicals products if she had control of the world.
“What would you do with petrochemical products?” he asked. “Everything you have, your clothes, your glasses, the car you got here on, your phone, the table you’re sitting at, the chair, the carpet under your feet — everything you’ve got is petrochemical products.
“What would you do with that? Tell the world,” the congressman said.
“If I had that power in the world — actually I don’t need that power,” Ms. Salter said in response.
“Because what I would do is ask you sir, from Louisiana, to search, to search," she continued, as Mr. Higgins interrupted her.
She added that she would ask the congressman to “search your heart and ask your God what you are doing to the Black and poor people in Louisiana”.
Louisiana is a major centre for the American petrochemical industry, especially along the Mississippi river between New Orleans and Baton Rouge — a region colloquially known as “Cancer Alley” for its high rates of cancer.
Congressman Higgins continued to ask Ms. Salter what she would do about things like the maritime industry, much of which currently relies on fossil fuels.
“You have no answers for this stuff,” he said.
“Of course we do, we need to move away from petrochemicals. We need to shut down the petrochemical facilities in your state,” Ms. Salter responded.
Eventually, Mr. Higgins asked Ms. Salter if she cared about the planet, citing the Bible.
“From a biblical perspective, we were given — the Lord gave us dominion over the planet and the creatures thereof,” he said.
“Now, the original translation of ‘dominion’ means to care for and nurture. So, from a biblical perspective, I am an environmentalist. I love my planet and the people and the creatures thereof. Do you?”
“If we’re going to talk about the Lord, I ask that you search your heart again and think about repenting,” Ms. Salter said.
“The fossil fuel industry that owns your state is destroying the Earth and the natural world,” she added.