In a recent interview, rapper Megan Thee Stallion reflected on the most terrifying moment of her life – when fellow rapper Tory Lanez SHOT her in the foot!
When police arrived afterward, however, Megan downplayed her injuries. Why’d she lie?
“I didn’t want [the police] to kill any of us, or shoot any of us. So I just said I stepped on glass,” Megan stated. Her actions reflect a harsh reality: Black women often feel obligated to “self-silence” to protect others.
The reality is Black women are 30-50% more likely to experience domestic violence than white women, and three times more likely to be killed in domestic disputes. Even scarier, 9 out of 10 murdered Black women knew their killers!
Two years earlier, an important point was made on popular TV show “Empire.” Cookie Lyon, played by Taraji P. Henson, called the police on her nephew when she found him violently beating his mother.
The episode ends with Cookie crying: “Who do we call when we need help? Who will protect us?”
According to domestic violence advocate Zoe Flowers, this leaves Black women “feeling like we have no one to turn to,” because they can’t trust police to actually protect them when they face abuse.
Despite this reality, we have to understand that self-silencing harms our community and especially our women. Like Megan, we can be strong AND share our truths!