Summary

The "Say Her Name" movement is specifically for Black women and has been appropriated by non-Black feminists for a White transgender woman's murder, causing controversy and highlighting the unique oppression faced by Black women.

Abstract

The article discusses the controversy surrounding the appropriation of the "Say Her Name" movement, which was originally created to highlight the plight of Black female victims of police violence who are often ignored by the media. The trending of "Say Her Name" on Twitter for Brianna Ghey, a White transgender woman, sparked outrage among Black women who feel their unique struggles are being co-opted. The movement was established to address the disproportionate rates of violence and incarceration faced by Black women, emphasizing that the phrase was not intended for all women, but specifically for Black women. The article points out that White female victims, unlike Black women, are given significant media attention, as evidenced by the True Crime genre's focus on White women. The appropriation of "Say Her Name" for a case involving misgendering and deadnaming of a White transgender woman is seen as missing the point of the movement, which is to combat the invisibility of Black women in discussions of violence and justice.

Opinions

Black women have expressed that "Say Her Name" is exclusively for Black female victims and should not be appropriated for other causes.
The article suggests that White and other non-Black feminists are misusing the "Say Her Name" slogan, which undermines its original purpose.
There is a perception that White female victims receive ample media coverage, unlike Black women, making the application of "Say Her Name" to White victims inappropriate.
The unique oppression faced by Black women, including higher rates of police violence and incarceration, is central to the need for a movement like "Say Her Name."
The article criticizes the use of "identity politics" as a dismissive term by White feminists when Black women assert the importance of maintaining the specificity of their movement.
Activists like Ash Sakar are called out for using language that aligns with racist rhetoric, despite claiming to fight racism, and for promoting a view of solidarity that allows for the appropriation of Black struggles.

“Say Her Name ”Is ONLY for Black Women.

White feminists scream “identity politics” because Black women refuse to allow them to appropriate “Say Her Name”.

Yesterday, “Say Her Name” trended on Twitter. The Her in the trend refers to the White transgender woman Brianna Ghey who was brutally murdered. Her alleged murderers are two teenagers- a boy and a girl.

In response to this egregious appropriation of the Say Her Name phrase, a Black woman tweeted

That got White and other non-Black feminists angry. One even accused Black women of “playing identity politics”

It is understandable why Black women were unhappy with this disgusting appropriation. Say Her Name was created for Black female victims of police violence.

The slogan was created by Black women in the early days of the Black Lives Matter movement. It was created to bring attention to Black female victims who were (and still are) ignored by the media and even by the Black community.

It is not created for all women. It was created by BLACK people for Black women. It was created because Black women face UNIQUE oppression that other women don’t face.

As in, Black women are 150% more likely than White women to be killed by cops. They are more likely to be stopped by cops. They are more likely than White women to be incarcerated.

It was created for Black women ONLY because Black women ONLY are the disproportionate victims of police violence

So, appropriating a slogan created for Black Women to fight for a White woman is truly gross.

Being ignored by the media is not a problem White female victims face. So, the slogan doesn’t apply to them. They are never ignored. They are, in fact, the only crime victims that the media loves to talk about.

Practically, the whole True Crime genre is about White female victims. When a White woman goes missing, the media covers her disappearance ad nauseum.

White women victims’ names are rarely ignored. The phrase doesn’t apply to White women.

We don’t need to Say Her Name for White female victims because their names are always SAID in the traditional media, in social media, and in the nation at large. The media doesn’t ignore White female victims. The media actually can’t stop talking about White victims.

We don’t need to Say Her Name because White female victims are viewed as the most sympathetic victims. Their murders are always talked about. Their murders are investigated and their murderers are punished.

White people are using Say Her Name because the media was misgendering Brianna and using her dead name. But what does that have to do with Say Her Name?

Say Her Name is not about misgendering. It is about the media and society at large ignoring victims of violence.

Black women victims don’t even get the “privilege” of being misnamed in the media. They are totally and completely ignored. That is what Say Her Name is about.

I mean Black transwomen are victims of crime at a much much much higher rate than White transwomen. But they rarely get mentioned in the media, let alone misgendered and deadnamed.

Ash Sakar is an Indian British activist. She claims to be fighting racism in Britain but she uses terms like “identity politics”. How are you anti-racism but you are using the same language racists use?

Also, Ash seems to believe that Black people exist to serve other people. She talks about “solidarity” in terms that suggest that Black people’s place in the solidarity is allowing our struggles to be appropriated by others.