Edmonton group promoting elevation of black women amid #MeToo movement
An Edmonton group is shining a light on the unique experience of black women amid global conversations about sexual assault and harassment.
Black Women United YEG hosted a rally at the Alberta Legislature Saturday, highlighting a more focused version of the #MeToo movement — #BlackMeToo. The rally was a show of solidarity with the March for Black Women in Washington
Beverly Elliott, a founding member of the group, said mainstream feminism hasn't been inclusive of black women and the challenges they face in addition to sexism.
"The #MeToo movement was started by a black woman, but it was a little bit co-opted by [the] white feminist movement," she said, noting that black women, like many women of other races, aren't always believed when they share their trauma.
"But black women, in addition to that, they lack the resources to get justice, as well as they face systemic racism when they're trying to get justice as well. They're also ostracized by their own communities for speaking out, especially if that abuse is coming from black men."
Elliott highlighted how black women are sometimes ridiculed for speaking out due to expectations of loyalty, either to the black community or women. She noted while black men can focus solely on fighting racism and white women can focus on feminism, black women don't have that privilege.
"We cannot separate them [race and gender] as black women," she said. "They are intertwined and they're part of our daily lives, so none of them can take a back seat."
#BlackMeToo in Edmonton
The #BlackMeToo movement came to a head in Edmonton in March when Tesfaye Ayalew, the former executive director of the Africa Centre, was fired amid allegations of abuse and sexual harassment. Black Women United YEG called for his resignation at a #MeToo rally the same month.
Ayalew has denied the allegations and took the matter to court in June, saying he was wrongfully dismissed.
Moréniké Ọláòṣebìkan, a speaker at Saturday's rally, said the women who accused Ayalew of sexual misconduct had to jump through several hoops to be heard. They weren't taken seriously and some people tried to discredit them, she said.
"They came to Black Women YEG, who then had to put on a full-on protest for these women before they got any sort of justice," said Ọláòṣebìkan, who is the of president Ribbon Rouge, which advocates for the prevention of the spread of HIV.
It shouldn't be so hard for black women to be heard, she said.
"I would want that we are believed at the first point when our stories are told," she said, "and that we wouldn't have to be necessarily rich or privileged or even super educated for our stories to be heard and believed."
