When the Center is on Fire: Hostility Toward Black Woman
Written initially as a response to a negative post by Trick Daddy! Updated Tuesday, September 5, 2023
Over the last couple of days, there have been a lot of heated debates, dialogues, and monologues surrounding an Instagram video made by rapper Trick Daddy concerning Black women. I usually avoid addressing rhetoric spewed by idiots, but because far too many Black men share this clown’s sentiment, I was forced to weigh in on the matter — if for no other reason than to let our Black women know that there are still Black men out here who will come to their defense. The reason for this latest update is that several videos have surfaced that reveal Black women being assaulted by Black men or Black men observing Black women being assaulted and doing nothing. My concern is the almost natural proclivity of many Black men to justify the assault of a Black female.
Initially, I shot an impromptu video on Facebook, which I eventually loaded on YouTube; you can see this video at the end of this article. I will have to admit that this video is probably the most transparent and raw video I have shot. Subsequently, I have recorded three videos concerning the recent issues.
In addition to these videos, I thought it would be a good idea to revise this article and republish it, explaining why it is important to deal with the hostility that is aimed at Black women by Black men.
Over the course of my research, teachings, books, and lectures, I have gone to extraordinary lengths to express my passion for the restoration of the Black family nucleus. It is my belief that it will be virtually impossible to effectively elevate and empower African Americans as long as the most vital institution to the perpetuation of cultural values, philosophies, and concepts remains dysfunctional. I have spoken and written in-depth concerning the intentional and unintentional emasculation of the Black man and the feminization of the Black male image — with it being made lucidly clear how both of these dynamic forces minimize the impact of the Black man in the black community.
Hostility Toward the Black Woman
I would be remiss if I did not invest equal time and energy into explaining the importance of protecting, covering, and empowering our women. Currently, the endogenous hostility that is aimed at the black woman is astronomical, and until we develop an arrant perspicacity of the importance of the female role and the requisite for the feminine energy of the Black woman, she will continue to be assaulted, demeaned, blamed and abandoned by Black men. I am not here to offer a pass to the Black woman for her contemptuous behavior or any other shortcomings. I am here to call on our people to rise up and live within the designation of our design. We have lost our balance — spiritually, emotionally, psychologically, and physically. Our men are hyper-aggressive disguised as masculinity, and our women are hyper-emotional because the dissonance between the two has not allowed for the natural balancing that takes place when both are operating with love and respect for the other.
Far too often, I see black men ridiculing and demeaning the black woman from a lofty position of pseudo-perfection. When Black men do this, we circumvent our responsibility to bring reason and rationale to the equation. We see through the paradigmatic lens of irrational assessment. You cannot honestly speak of the Black woman’s contempt for the Black man without introspectively examining the behavior of the Black man that led to the distrust that underwrites the contempt. The Black woman has been left exposed, making her vulnerable to multitudinous hazards, including rape & incest, physical assault, financial manipulation and more. She has been forced to deal with the reality that a Black man found it to be an acceptable course of action to procreate with her, and then abandon his progeny — leaving her with the impossible responsibility of taking on both roles of parenthood.
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When you speak of the Black family, the Black woman is the “center” or “core” of the nucleus, and the Black man is the outer covering. The black woman is the spiritual essence of a particular truth, while the Black man is the physical manifestation of that same truth. The Black woman is so much more than the birther of organic life; she also possesses a spiritual womb that is significantly more powerful than her physical one. With it, she brings life to the visions and dreams of the Black man. She is literally the regenerative force that replenishes the energy of the black man, but she has to be holistically protected for her to function in this capacity. Unfortunately, she has been left to fend for herself, and then she is being judged on how she does it. Unfortunately, the longer we remain out of alignment in this area, the worse things will become.
There is a danger in demeaning our women. I often say that Black people will only get as far as the Black man can lead us, and we will only get as high as the Black woman is able to lift us. We are in need of both elevation and progression. The problem is that when we fail to protect our women holistically, not only is it impossible for them to provide the elevation because they are also our regenerative force, they are incapable of recharging us so that we can generate the progression. We are warring from within the center of the nucleus of our very existence. The center is burning.
Toward the end of his life, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had to admit that his dream of a harmonious existence with whites had been transformed into a nightmare. He told Harry Belafonte that he believed that he was integrating his people into a burning house. What we are experiencing now is the non-efficacious attempts to elevate a people that are being destroyed from within. When the “center” of your being is on fire, and the fire is raging out of control, your infrastructure and framing become damaged, and you cannot facilitate even the simplest of strategies and concepts. When the center is on fire, you cannot sustain order within the collective because fire creates chaos. When the center is on fire, there can be no unity because chaos leads to individualism. When the center is on fire, destruction is inevitable because the external elements of the nucleus begin to disintegrate.
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There is an old African proverb that says, “When there is no enemy on the inside, the enemy on the outside can do us no harm.” Right now, we are our greatest enemy. Driven by confusion and disconnect, we have allowed our women to linger, and because of this same disconnect, we have lost our balance — our spiritual, emotional, and psychological equilibrium is off. The easy response is to turn the anger and frustration inward. The most efficacious response is to facilitate healing and incremental growth.
No, I am a long way from being a woman worshiper, but I am keenly cognizant of the Black woman’s immeasurable value — seeing her as my equal — my partner.
I believe that, in certain ways, the Black woman has suffered fatally — leaving a shell of her former greatness behind. I further believe that it is the Black man’s responsibility to facilitate her resurrection and then provide the protection necessary to sustain her healing and growth. We facilitate the resurrection by loving her back to life — seeing past the contempt to recognize the pain that is causing it — loving her, even when she is incapable of loving herself. We provide the protection to sustain the healing process by guarding her against further trauma. Not only can we not be the source of anguish, but we cannot allow harm to come to her from any other source. This type of love and protection will help develop the trust that has been compromised over the years — a trust that is vital to our rise.
This is not the time for finger-pointing. This is not the time for taking a pococurante approach to her needs and desires. This is a time when we must embrace the responsibility of protecting our women and children. We must be willing to extinguish the fire that is burning from within — the fire at the center of our existence. ~ Rick Wallace, Ph.D., Psy.D.
I understand the struggle our black women goes through. I believe with the knowledge we receive from Dr . Wallace.we can make a change, a different a better future for our generation. Disrespecting is not the answer or gold in life , It’s hurts me to the core to see this .we as a people (black ).need to come together embrace one another. (Love) give a helping hand, stop belittle our women.stop fighting our women. Lying on our women cheating etc.cause without them .There no you..
Bless is Love! I and I support this.
I co sign your whole frequency on this topic, thank you
THANK YOU