Black women made things happen in Alabama last night, and once again we are reminded why we should #trustblackwomen.  But we need you to do more than say you're grateful Black Women stepped up. We need you to show up for Black women and acknowledge the work we have been doing long before this election cycle.
 
Black women have been at the forefront of every movement for social justice. We have picketed and sat in and organized and shown up and frankly given up so much - too much for movements and people who often forget us after they get the victory that we created.
 
It was Black women who stepped up and formed the Trust Black Women partnership when racist billboards attacking our families and our dignity were being put up all over the country. It is Black women who formed Black Lives Matter. It was Black women who stepped up to make sure that we #sayhername and that we don't leave transgender women behind in our fights against reproductive oppression and racial injustice. It is a Black woman, Tarana Burke who started the #MeToo movement long before white women celebrities hashtagged their way to magazine covers and accolades. It is Black women who pointed out that racial discrimination in our health care systems is devastating our families. 
So, thank you for spreading #trustblackwomen far and wide. Use it as a mantra. Use it as a demand. Use it as a way to celebrate our success. But make sure that you don't forget the Black Women led reproductive justice organizations that birthed this powerful message and the Black women who have shown up over and over again. And know that we need more than your gratitude.  
  • Invest in Black women led organizations and invest in Black women.
  • Support our businesses and help Black women launch businesses in your community.
  • Recruit and contribute to our campaigns and elect Black women - at every level.
  • Hear our stories. Listen to us.
  • Don't thank us after we did the work. Seek us out and include us every step of the way - not just today, but every day.
Black women don't want to save you. We are too busy trying to survive in the face of systems that deny us bodily autonomy and force our communities into poverty and incarceration. We are too busy trying to fix healthcare systems where Black women are dying in childbirth and our children are dying in the streets at the hands of police. We are too damn busy to have to save people from themselves, so if you want to thank Black women, then do your work. Address your own racism. Dismantle the white supremacy in classrooms, court rooms and board rooms. Do something. Don't pat us on the back. We got it, thanks.
 
We know that we did the right thing. It is time for you to do the right thing. Get your people and get to work. But make sure that when you do that we are not pushed aside or forgotten. Black women are leading in our churches and our families and our communities. We are leading this fight. So be with us, but don't forget who is taking the lead.