https://open.substack.com/pub/oneangryblackchick/p/i-love-taylor-swift-but-aint-i-a?
I cheer on Taylor Swift, who deservedly receives attention for her fight against MAGA idiots, but as Black History Rolls out, I can't help but wonder, “Ain’t I a Woman too?” #BlackHistoryMonth
I woke up this morning, picked up my phone, and received notifications for several Taylor Swift-related articles from social media apps.
I picked up my tablet to order lunch—roughly the same.
Sat down at my computer—forget about it—wall to wall, Taylor versus MAGA battles!
Do not get it twisted, my friends—Swift deserves all the accolades, attention, and assistance she gets from folks on the Left. Sis is a bonafide hero, and I applaud her courage and steadfastness while under MAGA fire for simply expressing her right, and the right of others, to vote.
On the other hand…
I had said I would not write a Taylor Swift-related article, mainly because so much was being written on her fight already, and I sincerely did not believe I could add a new angle to it.
However, as time wore on, I was starting to feel some kinda way—today, as Black History Month rolled out, I have finally put my finger on the why.
The video below is my uncut—raw feelings in the matter. It has not been edited. This is my opinion and mine alone.
Ain’t I a Woman, too?
Sojourner Truth made her famous “Ain’t I a Woman” speech at the Ohio Women’s Convention in the mid-1800s. As I researched her, I noticed many takes and interpretations of the speech. Some felt it was an anti-slavery screed—others believed she was making a comparison between how White women and Black women were treated.
Wikipedia says this about Truth’s speech as an un-varnished introduction.
"Ain't I a Woman?" is a speech, generally considered to have been delivered extemporaneously, by Sojourner Truth (1797–1883), born into slavery in the state of New York. Some time after gaining her freedom in 1827, she became a well known anti-slavery speaker. Her speech was delivered at the Women's Convention in Akron, Ohio, in 1851, and did not originally have a title.
The speech was briefly reported in two contemporary newspapers, and a transcript of the speech was published in the Anti-Slavery Bugle on June 21, 1851. It received wider publicity in 1863 during the American Civil War when Frances Dana Barker Gage published a different version, one which became known as Ain't I a Woman?, because of its oft-repeated question. This later, better known and more widely available version was the one commonly referenced in popular culture and, until historian Nell Irvin Painter's 1996 biography of Truth, by historians as well —Wikipedia
The link below provides a complete, annotated text that spoke less about slavery and social comparisons and more about general female equality and Women’s Suffrage.
We know that Truth delivered numerous speeches on the aforementioned topics of slavery and colorism within the ranks of the suffrage movement, which is likely why many historians believe she may have hit on them during the Ain’t I Woman speech in Ohio.
Decide for yourself, as the below link supposedly provides the official full context of her words:
{Sojourner Truth Ain't I a Woman Speech - Full Text | CommonLit}
As I read more about this incredible woman, who is said to have inspired Women’s Rights Activists like Susan B. Anthony, Alice Stokes Paul, and Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, I am blown away but dismayed because her fight, my fight, is not over on so many fronts.
Honestly, ya’ll, I get tired.
Especially when well-meaning allies refuse to hear the cries of Black women, the very women whose votes the Left relies upon, only to be later told, “Well—Biden is fighting this thing ovah here, so please hold the line,” or “Swift is battling the dragon, so please, hold the line,” it’s always, “Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow,” whenever we say, “Hey—we kinda have a need, too—won’t you help us?”
When will our tomorrow finally come?
“You’re not the only one suffering, you know!” We get chastized—okay. So, when is it okay for me to reference, feel, and speak about my personal pain?
This is why I must give a loud shout-out to Karen Friedman Agnifilo of MTN. She has stepped up and spoken truth to power, even reprimanding her male Meidas Touch colleagues when they failed to recognize the continued plight of Black women in a significant way.
That is how you do it—thanks, girl!
Karen is among the reasons I still share Meidas Touch videos; why she has made MTN feel like a safe space for sistahs, even though, at times, it doesn't—at least not for me. Not always, for countless reasons too complicated to expound upon here.
To that end, I recognize why we must support Taylor Swift—she is a strong woman getting hounded by MAGA for being a strong woman. I can unequivocally support her while simultaneously wondering where the continuous, outspoken, and vigorous support is for Black women fighting to keep our children safe in our communities.
I know that many will say, well, come on, Taylor is famous. She is beloved—she has POWER. Celebrities have a greater reach, so she gets all the eyeballs.
Sure—but here I stand, blood on the ground, tearfully mourning over the deaths of young Black men like Elijah McClain, a gentle soul who played violin for cats in an animal shelter to calm them. He was so sweet and innocent. I think of those lovely fur babies in that shelter, who might still wonder where the music has gone.
His cop attacker only got 14 months in jail for blotting out that beautiful flame.
Where are the 101 articles about that?
My pain and persecution matter, too; I mean, AIN'T I A WOMAN?
Check out Li’l Sis's article on why it is okay to be An Angry Black Woman in 2024 and say so. Her name is Princess Avianne Charles, a Trinidadian writer and blogger with experience in the field of Occupational Safety and Health.
Show her Stack some love: