Womanist Musings: An Inconvenient Truth About Black Women's Tears
“‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me" (Mt. 15:8, NIV).
Misogynoir, or the hatred of Black women, is seen in a variety of ways which are easily overlooked - but which represent significant stress and strain in the lives of Black women, globally. It is an inconvenient truth, but the tears of Black women do not engender sympathy or respect. In short, Black women are not seen as fully human. This is further demonstrated in the way we approach our policies within higher education. For example, "Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)" is seen as merely performative by people of color. Decoloniality Institutes are typically managed by Whites. While these institutes are sometimes managed by non-Black people, these efforts rarely center African descended people within academic discourse except as objects of history rather than subjects.
In this article, we consider Meghan Markle as an example of misogynoir's flourishing. We consider the way corporate power (such as PR groups) and the media can co-create a narrative of Black women which is rooted in hatred.
We end by examining the genuine hatred that co-exists with our claims of equity, diversity and inclusion. Why does the world struggle against acknowledging the humanity of Black women?
Meghan Markle as an Example of Misogynoir's Flourishing
If that sounds implausible, consider the casual hatred of Meghan Markle - a biracial woman who married Prince Harry, grandson of the now deceased British Queen. Once their engagement was announced, stories casting dispersions on Meghan's character suddenly emerged in sharp contrast to the initial “enthusiasm” of the British people. When trying to locate the source of this anti-Black female hatred, The Grio states,
" Yes, of course, part of the real problem is race. Markle entering the Whitest of the globe’s White families thus forcing people to see Black and White as equals is extremely frightening for people who value Whiteness and view the royals as an important symbol of it. When Markle took Blackness into that family, she showed the world that White people are not a superior race." (The Grio, "Why is Meghan Markle hated by so many White people and beloved by so many Black people?" Dec 2022.)
Use of Media for Misogynoirist Tactics
The Monarchy has, in its employ, a group of people who manage the Monarchy's reputation. This group, Royal Communications, is said to put out various stories from "unidentified sources" or people who are "close to" whoever is being discussed. The stories are intended to protect the core members of the Monarchy at all costs.
It should be no surprise that some people, associated with the British Monarchy, will be cast in a less favorable light to protect the reputations of those deemed most important. One such story that comes to mind was told when Meghan and Harry were interviewed by Oprah Winfrey, March 7, 2021.
Meghan spoke about a situation "leaked" to the papers about a behind the scenes disagreement between Meghan and Kate, the wife of William and sister in-law to Harry. According to Meghan in her Oprah interview, Kate was rather rude to Meghan but later apologized. Meghan accepted the apology. However, Meghan later saw the incident in the newspapers with the "spin" that Meghan made Kate cry. According to Markle, the "source close to the royal family" is often, in fact, a PR machine which is employed to protect their reputations.
The Trope of White Women's Tears
Now, stop me if you've heard this before: it seems that having a White woman wield tears to engender sympathy after causing harm to a Black woman is not exactly a novel idea. (Read "Confront the Weaponization of White Women's Tears," Anti-Racism Daily, 2021; "How White Women Use Strategic Tears to Silence Women of Color," The Guardian, 2021; and "When White Women Cry: How White Women's Tears Oppress Women of Color," Mamta Accapadi, 2022.)
While Meghan was careful not to provide any great details, because she held the apology to be sincere, the "PR machine" of the Windsor household appeared to have other thoughts in mind. (The link to the PR machine represents one of the many September 2022 stories generated about Meghan Markle intended to control that narrative.)
Why Black Women's Pain Isn't Seen as Real
Here's a question worth considering: Why is it that the tears and pain of this Black woman engender no sympathy? We can talk about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion until blue in the face - but these are more often hollow words. For Bible scholars, this sense of falsity may remind them of this text:
“‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me" (Mt. 15:8, NIV).
How is it possible that British culture, primarily, is unable to examine these stories of "mean Meghan" and to critique what they hear? Is it because the British Monarchy is the absolute representation of "Whiteness" and power, and that a biracial woman who has married into that narrative threatens its validity? (See "The British Monarchy and Regimes of Whiteness," Routledge, 2021; and "How the British Royal Family Has Turned a Blind Eye to its Racist Past," Insider, 2022).
If Meghan was suicidal with the onslaught of attacks from the media, why was this not problematic to the good (non-racist) people hearing it? (Read, "Suicide by Black Girls is a Mental Health Crisis Hiding in Plain Sight," Time, 2021; "Why White Women Crying is Still Racist: The work of trauma narratives in self-stories of transracialism," in London School of Economics and Political Science, 2023).
Why is the very humanity of Black women seen as nearly non-existent? Is Whiteness ultimately about a definition which continues to be the opposite of “Blackness?” And if so, how can we change that?
We are including a LinkedIn video, below, where a Black woman provides an analysis of the response to White women's tears (or declarations of hurt). This produces the polar opposite response to Black women's pain. Please share and subscribe today. Thank you for reading!
Dr. CL Nash, The Misogynoir to Mishpat (M2M) Research Network © 2023
