Former Police Officer Daniel Holtzclaw Convicted of Rape is an article published by CNN that explores the recent conviction of Daniel Holtzclaw in order to expose the horrifying abuse of power used by this ex-police officer against women of color. Daniel Holtzclaw was a Police officer in Oklahoma that targeted black women from a poor neighborhood in order to force these women to perform sexual acts ranging from oral sodomy to groping to rape. He targeted specific women according to their race, socioeconomic status and criminal history, trying to guarantee that their voices would never be heard. This article proves that sexual violence can come from anywhere, even those that are supposed to be protecting your freedom, not taking it away. It
Women are consistently seen as the inferior sex. They are seen as weaker, less intelligent, less informed, and less likely to be able to protect themselves or speak up about violence against them. And many times people perpetuate these sexist thoughts and beliefs without even realizing it. As Bell Hooks discusses in her book Feminism Is For Everybody, men allow sexism because they fear the loss of the power of the patriarchal society that rules our country, and anyone who isn’t actively fighting against this sexist oppression is part of the problem. And racism and classism both play large roles in this passive perpetuation of sexist ideals. As Hooks said in her book, “utopian visions of sisterhood based solely on the awareness of the reality that all women were in some way victimized by male domination were disrupted by discussions of class and race.” This quote explores the idea that as long as women try to overpower other women based on the color of their skin or the amount of money they hold, there can be no progress forward for women as a whole. If white women are not willing to help those of a different race, or wealthy women are not willing to help women of a lower class, there will be no way to fight against a patriarchal society that allows men, especially wealthy white men in a position of power, such as Daniel Holtzclaw, to get away with oppression, exploitation, violence, and rape of
When sexual education is taught in schools, teachers should include a section on intimate partner violence. This should include being able to see signs that could help identify someone as potentially abusive, resources that are available, and stories of people who have been sexually or otherwise abused. There should me more awareness spread through the media. Instead of the skewed and unreliable information that the media spurts out, there should be more women telling their stories and sharing statistics, and showing that it is okay to seek help and that it is okay to tell your story. It is important that information about the problem of sexual violence and the impacts of sexual violence are made accessible to everyone. Once people are aware and informed, not only will it help to prevent further attacks against women, but also if women see that they are not alone in their struggle, more women will come forward and be able to receive the help that they need. There may be some who still will not have access to this information, but even if only a few become informed, those few can reach out and spread the information, and keep spreading that information and lifelines for help until progress is
Malcolm X stated that the most disrespected, unprotected and neglected person in America is the black woman. Black women have long suffered from racism in American history and also from sexism in the broader aspect of American society and even within the black community; black women are victims of intersection between anti-blackness and misogyny sometimes denoted to as "misogynoir". Often when the civil rights movement is being retold, the black woman is forgotten or reduced to a lesser role within the movement and represented as absent in the struggle, McGuire 's At the Dark End of the Street: Black Women, Rape, and Resistance--A New History of the Civil Rights Movement from Rosa Parks to the Rise of Black Power does not make this same mistake.
Being a woman I will always be at a disadvantage to men and other women who are white. Men and white women are seen to be superior by society. Peggy McIntosh, American radical feminist and anti-racism activist, stated in “White Privilege and Male Privilege,” “…I have noticed men’s unwillingness to grant that they are over privileged in the curriculum, even though they may grant that women are disadvantaged” (McIntosh 140). Men are in denial that they are over privileged and does not admit it because of society. Society make men believe that they are superior then women. I think it is wrong because I am a woman and if I wanted to be a CEO of a company, it would be harder for me become one than it would be for a man. Even if I do become one through hard work, I would still be paid less than any men who are CEOs and I would be seen as a bitch. I feel that if I can do anything any other man can do, I should get paid the same by my abilities and not by what my sex is. Not only are women less privileged than men, but also white women. “I can turn on the television or open to the front page of the paper and see people of my race widely and positively represented,” stated McIntosh (142). She doesn’t worry about people seeing her as a problem because she is white. On the television or in the newspaper, African Americans have a negative representation and are seen as the “problem” of today’s
Betty Owens was kidnapped on her way to a school formal, raped repeatedly by four white males, and worse might have happened it it had been for her friends getting help from a young white police officer (Lecture 4/13 ). Officer Joe D. Cooke Jr. was on duty when the friends of Betty Owens came running for his help, and instead of doing what many white policeman before had done, he ran to her aid (McGuire, p. 163). What is amazing about this case is the fact that not only were these men arrested and jailed by a white man but that they were threatened on the seen with being shot for their offenses against miss. Owens (McGuire, p. 163). The fact that the white boys were arrested on the spot and spent the days leading up to their trial in jail was also something that this case had happened that had never occurred prior in Southern states. This all being said Miss. Betty Owens was extremely lucky that officer Cooke was on duty and not the chief of police since it was common knowledge that the only reason why he stayed in power was by igniting race tensions (McGuire, p. 161). In Florida this case was the first of it’s kind in that it was the first all white jury to convict a white man, let alone four, of raping a Black woman, this was yet another important step in the Civil Rights Movement but more importantly a step in the right direction for the feminist movements. Rape of white women had always been such an outrage and meant death for the perpetrator, but with each of these very public cases the outrage against any man who committed violence against women, of any race grew, culminating with the Joan Little case which broke down the last of remnants of the Jim Crow law (Lecture
“Women and men do not receive an equal education because outside of the classroom women are perceived not as sovereign beings but as prey” (Rich 446). Women already have this preconceived notion that they not only have to compete with men in school but the pressure that society puts on them to compete with other women every day. The body shaming epidemic going on now tells women that if they don’t have the right measurement then you are not considered attractive, it is another example of how women are viewed as a whole instead of as individuals. Adrienne Rich also discusses the obstacle that women face every day, but no one wants to talk about, rape. “How much of my working energy is drained by the subliminal knowledge that as a woman, I test my physical right to exist each time I go out alone?” What Rich is expressing is that women always have the unnecessary burden, of not only being considered the weaker sex in society but also physically being reminded that as women doing something as mundane as walking to your car you have to be conscious of the possibility of being raped. This is affecting women outside of the classroom setting, if women were represented more in mainstream curriculum there would not be such a conception about gender
Intimate partner violence is still a common issue that affects women from all walks of life. It is an issue that is too often ignored until the violence has become deadly. In the book “Women: Images and Realities a Multicultural Anthology,” chapter seven entitled “Violence Against Women” includes pieces that cover the issue of intimate partner violence. In Michele McKeon’s piece “Understanding Intimate Partner Violence” she states that “In 1994 the Violence Against Women Act was passed, revolutionizing programs, services, and funding for individuals affected by intimate partner violence and their families” (McKeon 497). Yet the revolutionized programs, which McKeon speaks of, haven’t changed the fact that the violence continues and in my opinion, it is not enough to just deal with the aftermath of the violence, the prevention of intimate partner violence is something that society needs to address. In addition, McKeon also states “The Center for Disease Control and Prevention found that 1,181 women were murdered by their intimate partners in 2005; two million women experience injurie...
Bell Hook states that the leading issues with gender inequality is: “cultural imperialist, white supremacy, and cultural patriarchy”. Hook makes a strong point that is far beyond valid or legit. Poor women have the most difficult time with succeeding in life. For instance, poor women have issues with paying for bills, education, and finding jobs that will accept them. I am not saying that wealthy women do not have issues with succeeding in life, but if one was to have monetary riches more resources are available. Culture imperialism is the cultural aspects of imperialism, in which is the maintenance of unequal relationships between civilizations favoring the most powerful civilization. Hook is referring to the taking of essence from minorities as in their characteristics. This alone enables women of color to feel powerless. If one was to take all of the riches and cultural benefits of one ethnic group, and in return they use it for another that only creates a greater disparity or difference for others. White supremacy is an ongoing issue that is international. There are groups or cults of people who truly believe that there is a “Supreme Race”. These people are discriminate and epitomize hatred towards others who are not of their origin or ethnic group. If there are cults of people that will negate, discriminate and spread hate towards minorities. Which as well limits or lowers a woman of color
Sexual assault is defined as any type of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient. Falling under the definition of sexual assault are sexual activities as forced sexual intercourse, forcible sodomy, child molestation, incest, fondling, and In the United States 80% of sexual assault victims are under the age of 30. Of that 80%, 44% are under the age of 18 (RAINN, 2016). That leaves 36% of victims between the ages of 18 and 30. These percentages become even more alarming when that 80% is of about 293,000 victims of secual assualt each year (RAINN, 2016). It is estimated that 1 in every 6 women in the US has been or will be victims of sexual assault in their lifetime. The risks of sexual assault increase on college campuses. Women ages 18-24 who are enrolled in college are 3 times more likely than women in general to suffer from sexual violence (RAINN, 2016). One would think that with all these women being sexually assaulted, one would hear more about it, or perhaps the police stations would constantly be busy. This is not the case. Sexual assault is one of the most unreported crimes, with 68% still being left unreported (RAINN, 2016). This could be because of every 100 rapists, only 2 will spend a day in jail. Of the 32 out of 100 that would be reported, only 7 are referred to an arrest (RAINN, 2016). Why would men or women want to report sexual assault when the system that is supposed to protect them fails so often, and why does this system continue to fail?
Women are faced with extreme pressure and alienation in their career fields, and on average earn less than men. Men, on the other hand, face similar pressure, while underachieving compared to women academically, and facing more dangerous occupations. Clearly, this system benefits no one. Michael Kimmel illustrates this point in “A black woman took my job': Michael Kimmel argues that it is in men's interest to work for gender equality.” The title itself emphasizes how the fight for gender equality will benefit both genders. He discusses how sexism is harming men by narrowing their worldview (2). Slaughter, Ullman, Kaplan, Dorment, Knestaut, and Miller all agree with Kimmel to some extent. They all agree gender equality does not exist. When all these perspectives are brought together, it becomes clear that it is in the best interest of both genders that the fight for equality is still pursued. Hopefully, one day women will earn as much as their male counterparts and be equally represented in both careers and intentional unemployment, and men will be attaining higher education goals and employed in less dangerous occupations, and both genders will be relieved of some of the pressure to dedicate 100% of their time to both a career, and a
White women had been oppressed, and eventually when America began to diversify, those coming into the country were becoming oppressed and alienated. Even those who had been in the country were being discriminated against, but it’s because white Americans were prejudice towards those who identified as other than white. Sexism was and is definitely prevalent within the feminist movement, as feminism is fighting for the equality between men and women in general. Sexism creates and justifies systems of domination based on sex and gender (FYS Class Notes). The feminist movement began on the acts of sexism, as women did not have the same rights as men. Today, I think that women still aren’t treated as equal to men because people, especially men, think that women aren’t capable of doing the things a man can. I also think that part of the reason that men think women aren’t equal is because women can have children, and they just assume that the woman is supposed to take care of that child for the rest of her life. Yes, it’s her child, but it’s also the man who helped her create the child’s responsibility to take care of the child as
Bell hooks said feminism should be thought of as the “struggle to end sexist oppression,” instead of the movement to make women equals of men, as the rhetoric of the latter definition implies that it is always men who are oppressing women (26). For example, John Stuart Mill wrote that historically, the “subject-class” of women (166) were dominated by men, and power was “common to the whole male sex” (165). He only focused on the domination of women by men, and ignored how non-white and poor men have faced discrimination that rich white men did not have to endure, and therefore the former feels “powerless and ineffectual in relation to ruling male groups” (hooks 18). Mill also neglected to mention that black women are often victims of domination
In fact, the history of feminism has shown that often times, the feminist movement only serves “the most affluent, socially accepted, and privileged women within it” and often fails to secure equality for women who don’t fit this favored status (Rios, “4 Things We Can Do to Make Feminist Organizing More Inclusive”). The feminist movement’s privileges are largely enjoyed by middle to upper class, white women. However, it is critical to understand that the movement fails and is not doing its job to the fullest extent if it does not focus on those marginalized and oppressed women within it. Jessa Crispin, author of Why I am Not a Feminist: A Feminist Manifesto, explains that “Just because a certain population of women — who are mostly white, educated and upper middle class — can participate in higher levels of society, that doesn’t make it a victory for all women, it’s the collective that needs taking care of” (Racco, “Redefining the F
To begin with, the definition of domestic violence is “the willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, and/or other abusive behavior as part of a systematic pattern of power and control perpetrated by one intimate partner against another” (“What Is Domestic Violence”). Ranging from grown women to young children, many are victims to abuse. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, “nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States” (“Statistics”). Just by calculating, that is 28,800 people who are abused in just ONE DAY! The scary part is that this number does not even account for the numerous cases that are not even told. Many victims are threatened or even hurt so bad that they must keep their mouth shut in fear of even worse abuse to come. Of
...apidly our world today. There are hundreds of places people may go and visit for help or more information about rape and sexual violence. It is very important that when and if it happens, the victim needs to report the crime to authorities immediately. People must know the truth about rape and sexual violence and what to do about it.
Domestic violence is skyrocketing in our society. In the U.S., as many as 1.5 million women and 850,000 men were physically assaulted by their intimate partner last year, and numerous children abused by their parents. These sad criminal acts will continue to grow in our society, unless our community takes action to stop these crimes.
The society we live in is rape-conducive, rape-friendly, if you will. Despite the anger I feel joining those two words together, I know the sad paradox holds within it a great deal of truth. We are a violent society that has shrouded rape in mystery and shame. To stop this nightmare’s venomous crusades, all people must wage a private war to eradicate their own acceptance of the savage crime. While it is only a minority of men that actually commit rape, it is everyone’s silence that tells them it’s ok.