OpEd - Blaqly https://blaqly.com Latest Black News and Gossips Wed, 16 Jul 2025 13:07:03 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Racist Fox News Host Called Rep. Jasmine Crockett A ‘Dumb-Dumb’— Because She’s Terrified Of A Smart Black Woman [Op-Ed] https://blaqly.com/sub/racist-fox-news-host-called-rep-jasmine-crockett-a-dumb-dumb-because-shes-terrified-of-a-smart-black-woman-op-ed/ https://blaqly.com/sub/racist-fox-news-host-called-rep-jasmine-crockett-a-dumb-dumb-because-shes-terrified-of-a-smart-black-woman-op-ed/#respond Wed, 16 Jul 2025 13:07:03 +0000 https://blaqly.com/sub/racist-fox-news-host-called-rep-jasmine-crockett-a-dumb-dumb-because-shes-terrified-of-a-smart-black-woman-op-ed/ Source: Robin L Marshall / Getty “Her incompetence is beastly.”“She certainly is a mental deficient.”“She’s a dumb-dumb, and you can’t take her ...

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Source: Robin L Marshall / Getty

“Her incompetence is beastly.”“She certainly is a mental deficient.”“She’s a dumb-dumb, and you can’t take her seriously.”“She is a recalcitrant piece of garbage.”“She’s massively incompetent.”

That was Fox News’ Lisa “Kennedy” Montgomery trying to demean Rep. Jasmine Crockett five times in a single rant. But all that petty derision reveals nothing about Congresswoman Crocket and far more about Kennedy’s own intellectual bankruptcy, moral squalor, and her talent for cheap, performative cruelty masquerading as political commentary. The only real skill she’s honed is making the shallow sound edgy to people too dim-witted to notice.

If Kennedy had a real argument, she wouldn’t have needed to stack five personal insults on top of each other like a sad little Jenga tower of insecurity. 

RELATED CONTENT: ‘She’s Cosplaying A Gangsta’ — Why Are White Conservatives So Pressed About Jasmine Crockett’s Blackness? [Op-Ed]

A truly intelligent and competent commentator wouldn’t rely on crude, empty attacks in place of reasoned critique. She needed five insults because she had nothing else. No substance. No evidence. No point. No working brain cells. Just spit and bile.  Just look how hard she had to work just to prove she had nothing. And ultimately, she demonstrated that she’s the one who’s actually mentally deficient.

Kennedy’s rant came after Crockett dared to call out Donald Trump’s “racist and wrong” remarks about the president of Liberia speaking “such good English.” When Crockett labeled Trump’s words for what they were, the GOP rapid-response machine snapped into gear. Kennedy simply picked up that baton for Fox News. She didn’t contest a single fact. She went straight for the oldest, most cowardly trick in the racist playbook: smear the Black woman’s intelligence. Reduce her to a “dumb-dumb.” Make sure the audience sees her as unworthy of basic respect.

It’s pathetic and so damn predictable.

Kennedy knows she can’t beat Rep. Crockett on substance. She can’t out-argue her. Crockett is a civil rights attorney, a sitting member of Congress, a woman who can dismantle Republican talking points with her eyes closed and one hand tied behind her back. She is sharp, fearless, and unbothered by conservative fragility. And that terrifies mediocre bigots like Kennedy.

This is the same Lisa Kennedy who made her name being smarmy on MTV in the 90s, who rebranded herself as a libertarian edgelord sneering at working people’s needs, and who has built a career in conservative media serving up sarcastic, punchline-level takes for an audience desperate for reassurance they’ll never have to take Black women seriously. Kennedy isn’t offering critique; she’s offering white folks a comfortable fantasy where no Black woman is ever smarter than they are.

She’s the human embodiment of smug mediocrity. This is a woman who leveraged the aesthetics of rebelliousness into a decades-long gig kissing the ring of right-wing power while pretending she’s too hip to care about the damage. She’s the type who rails against government overreach but has no problem with state violence at the border or policing Black communities, the kind of libertarian who mocks student debt relief but wants her rich pals’ taxes cut.

Kennedy has no policy chops. She’s not serious. She’s a lazy performer who built her brand on eye-rolling, faux-radical snark that crumbles the second you ask her for actual ideas. She’s the sort of TV pundit who thinks being mean is the same thing as being smart. She’s paid to pander to viewers who want to hear that even the most obviously intelligent Black woman in the room is a “dumb-dumb,” because that lie is easier for them to swallow than gagging on the fact that she’s one of the dullest minds in the room.

“She is a recalcitrant piece of garbage.”

That line is a window into who Kennedy is. She’s a smug, washed-up cable clown who traded whatever critical thinking skills she once pretended to have for the cheapest form of white grievance theater. She’s not a serious commentator.  She’s a professional bigot-whisperer whose job is to sneer, belittle, and dehumanize Black women who won’t stay in the roles her audience finds comfortable. 

Calling Crockett “garbage” is Kennedy admitting that she can’t match Crockett’s command of the facts, her courtroom-honed intelligence, or her refusal to play nice for people who despise her. It’s Kennedy revealing that she knows exactly what her audience wants to hear and delivers it with a wink and a sneer.

She’s not just smug mediocrity. She’s a willing foot soldier for white grievance politics, who lacks confidence in her own intellect and the right-wing worldview she’s there to defend.  At the end of the day, she knows Crockett was right.  But instead she says, “Look at this dumb-dumb.”

Kennedy’s disrespect of a sitting Black representative was personal, and it was also universal. 

Every time a Black woman shows up in American public life with undeniable intelligence, whether she’s a Representative like Jasmine Crockett, a Supreme Court justice like Ketanji Brown Jackson, a Vice President like Kamala Harris, or a scholar, attorney, doctor, journalist, or educator, there is a reliably ugly backlash waiting for her. It doesn’t matter if she graduated from the nation’s top schools, served with distinction, or simply out-argues her opponents in debate.  As soon as her intelligence shines, the slur emerges: “mentally deficient,” “low IQ,” “affirmative action case,” “DEI hire,” “dumb,” “illiterate,” “incoherent.”

Source: Vinnie Zuffante / Getty

This isn’t random name-calling.  It taps into centuries of propaganda about Black inferiority. It’s the same old lie that Black people are less intelligent, especially Black women. It’s a deliberate racist strategy that is about policing who gets to be seen as competent, authoritative, or deserving of respect in American public life. Because for people invested in whiteness, a Black woman who is brilliant, articulate, prepared, and unafraid is a threat to the entire hierarchy they depend on. She disrupts the lie that whiteness is the natural home of competence and authority.

The psychology behind it is pathetic.  If you can’t disprove her, you have to degrade her. You have to reduce her to something less than you so you can feel safe, unchallenged, and unthreatened. Calling her “dumb” isn’t an analysis of her arguments; it’s an exorcism. It’s an attempt to expel her from the realm of people who have to be listened to or taken seriously. It’s about making sure the audience doesn’t even consider the possibility she’s right.

This is why these attacks are so formulaic and so emotional. They’re not built to rebut a Black woman’s logic; they’re built to reassure the insecure. They work by triggering a familiar, comforting stereotype for white audiences: that no matter how many degrees she has, no matter how well she argues or writes, no matter how prepared she is, she’s still just a dumb, beastly Black girl who should know her place.

Calling Jasmine Crockett “mentally deficient” is the white supremacist mind doing damage control. Kennedy called Jasmine Crockett a “dumb-dumb” not because Crockett is anything of the sort, but because she’s dangerously smart in ways that threaten conservative power. She knows the law. She knows how to use it. She knows how to make Republicans look like the unserious, unethical frauds they are.

Kennedy knows that if people actually listen to Jasmine Crockett, if they hear her questions, watch her disassemble Republican witnesses, or see her call out right-wing hypocrisy in real time, then they might start to wonder why Kennedy and her Fox News pals never have any answers.

She can’t say: Jasmine Crockett is wrong about Republicans shielding criminals. Because Crockett isn’t. She can’t say: Jasmine Crockett doesn’t understand the law. Because Crockett demonstrably does.

All Kennedy can say is: Don’t listen to her, she’s a dumb-dumb. That’s it. That’s the entire intellectual offering.

It’s the rhetorical move of a coward. Of a hack. Of a professional gaslighter who’s made a living comforting racists with the lie that any Black woman who challenges them is actually an idiot in disguise.

Dr. Stacey Patton is an award-winning journalist and author of “Spare The Kids: Why Whupping Children Won’t Save Black America” and the forthcoming “Strung Up: The Lynching of Black Children In Jim Crow America.” Read her Substack here.

RELATED CONTENT: They Go Low, We Go To Hell: Rep. Jasmine Crockett Has MAGA Fuming Over ‘Governor Hot Wheels’ Comment
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The ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Is A Death Sentence for Black Women — Don’t Let the Name Fool You [Op-Ed] https://blaqly.com/sub/the-big-beautiful-bill-is-a-death-sentence-for-black-women-dont-let-the-name-fool-you-op-ed/ https://blaqly.com/sub/the-big-beautiful-bill-is-a-death-sentence-for-black-women-dont-let-the-name-fool-you-op-ed/#respond Wed, 16 Jul 2025 12:03:46 +0000 https://blaqly.com/sub/the-big-beautiful-bill-is-a-death-sentence-for-black-women-dont-let-the-name-fool-you-op-ed/ Source: Deagreez My daughter came into this world four months too soon. For four months, we lived beneath the blinking lights and ...

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Source: Deagreez

My daughter came into this world four months too soon.

For four months, we lived beneath the blinking lights and beeping machines of the neonatal intensive care unit at one of the best children’s hospitals in the United States. Every single day, I watched her chest rise and fall with fierce determination—a rhythm more sacred than any song I’d ever heard. And every single day as I was healing, body torn and spirit shaken, I kept watch. Wondering if she would survive the night.

My then-husband and I both worked full-time. We had what people call “good jobs.” We had private insurance. We had done things the so-called “right” way. And still, my daughter’s and my hospital bills climbed toward hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Medicaid saved us.

RELATED CONTENT: ‘Black Women Aren’t Broken. The System Is’ —How Dr. Que English Is Leading The Movement To Save Black Mothers [Exclusive]

Detroit Mother Dies From Excessive Brain Bleed After C-Section, Family Searching For Answers

It stepped in where our private insurance fell short. It covered the care that helped my daughter live. It gave me space to recover from the complications of her birth. And because I qualified for Medicaid, I also qualified for WIC, which ensured there was food in the fridge and formula in the cabinet when I couldn’t nurse. Without those programs, I would still be in debt today, almost twenty years later. I might have lost our home. I honestly don’t know how I would’ve made it back to myself.

Source: kate_sept2004 / Getty

Public assistance didn’t just help us survive; it helped us recover and thrive. It gave us a second chance to live with dignity.

So when I hear politicians talk about “lazy welfare moms” or “irresponsible spending,” I think of mothers like me. I think of babies like mine. And I know they’re flat out lying.

The “Big Beautiful Bill,” passed July 3, 2025, is everything but beautiful. It is treacherous. It slices through Medicaid and shreds the very supports that keep families like mine afloat. It does this all while handing over $1.5 trillion in tax cuts to billionaires and corporations.

For Black women, especially, this bill is not just bad policy; it’s a blueprint for abandonment and deep harm. The bill includes the largest Medicaid cuts in U.S. history. That’s not just numbers on a page; that’s a death sentence for some of us.

More than 65% of Black births are covered by Medicaid. And still, Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. When a mother hemorrhages and dies because she couldn’t afford prenatal care, the state will call it a tragedy. When a baby is born too early because her mother had to choose between groceries and gas to get to the clinic, it will be called unfortunate. But we know better.

None of what is coming will be mere misfortune. It will be the result of intentional policy. It will be neglect baked into law.

The Big Beautiful Bill also targets Planned Parenthood, stripping Medicaid funding from clinics that offer abortion services, even when the money is used for preventive care. The bill doesn’t just go after abortion—it threatens access to cancer screenings, STI testing, prenatal visits, and birth control, especially for low-income patients who rely on these clinics as their only source of care. 

Source: Andrii Dodonov / Getty

Over 2.4 million people, many of them Black and Brown women, rely heavily on these facilities for reproductive care. And when those clinics close, Black women will be hit hardest. We already die from cervical cancer at rates 65% higher than white women. Denying access to reproductive care isn’t just cruel; for Black women, it is a calculated decision — a quiet, systemic verdict on who is allowed to heal and who is left to die.

Another way this atrocious bill harms Black women is in how it expands work requirements for SNAP, demanding that recipients log 80 hours per month of work, volunteering, or training, even as costs rise and wages stagnate. But let’s be clear: Black women are already among the most active labor groups in this country. Many of us are working multiple jobs while caring for elders and children. We’re doing the most with the least, and still, we are asked to prove our worth, over and over again. 

We know this bill isn’t about encouraging work. It’s about punishing poverty. It’s about turning hunger into a test and bureaucracy into a weapon. And we also know who will be hurt most. Nearly 1 in 4 Black children rely on SNAP to eat.

Those hungry children will learn early that the leaders of this country see their needs as a burden. Hungry mothers will skip meals so their children don’t have to. And too many hardworking families will internalize their struggles, believing their hunger is a personal failure, rather than the result of a government that has turned its back on their most basic needs. SNAP doesn’t just fill plates. It protects dignity. And when you take it away, you don’t just cause hunger—you cause harm that can echo for generations.

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When Black Women Speak, the System Shrugs: What the Diddy Verdict Tells Us [Op-Ed] https://blaqly.com/sub/when-black-women-speak-the-system-shrugs-what-the-diddy-verdict-tells-us-op-ed/ https://blaqly.com/sub/when-black-women-speak-the-system-shrugs-what-the-diddy-verdict-tells-us-op-ed/#respond Fri, 11 Jul 2025 16:39:38 +0000 https://blaqly.com/sub/when-black-women-speak-the-system-shrugs-what-the-diddy-verdict-tells-us-op-ed/ Source: Mychal Watts Time and time again, the system has failed Black women, and when it comes to the recent allegations and ...

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Source: Mychal Watts

Time and time again, the system has failed Black women, and when it comes to the recent allegations and case brought against Sean “Diddy” Combs, the sentiment is no different.

I want to preface this article by saying that two things can be true: my introduction to hip hop on my own terms occurred during the rise of Bad Boys Records in the 1990s. There was once a time when I wanted to be a part of the label, because I thought the energy was so infectious and exciting, a reminder that larger-than-life dreams were possible.

Despite rumors about his behavior behind the scenes, I had long admired Diddy for his ability to bring out the best in people. We saw it through acts like the Notorious B.I.G. and Mase, as well as with groups like Day 26 and Danity Kane. Although it was evident during the Making the Band days that he could be a little egotistical.

While I long adored what he represented in terms of Black excellence, and the glitz and glamor of making it as a star, I do not condone or support any behavior where people have been harmed, whether it’s mentally or physically. 

RELATED CONTENT: Follow These 5 Black Women Journalists Leading Coverage Of The Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Trial

When Cassie Ventura broke her silence in November 2023, I remember it vividly. I had lain down for a nap at my nana’s house during a visit home to Virginia, and when I woke up, I had dozens of messages asking about my thoughts on the matter.

As a Black woman, my stance will always be to support other Black women, period. Furthermore, as a victim of sexual assault myself, I have an even softer spot for women who, unfortunately, can say they’ve experienced the same.

I applaud Cassie and the other women who have come forward because it’s no easy feat, and now my heart aches for them following a verdict that seemingly holds this man partially accountable for some of the vile allegations that have been brought forth against him.

What Was The Verdict?

According to CBS News, Diddy was convicted of two counts of prostitution-related charges, with each count carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. He was acquitted of the more severe charges, which included racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking, and is set to remain in detention as he awaits sentencing, now set for Oct. 3.

Kevin Winter

The Message It Sends To The Culture.

It would be remiss not to discuss the greatness of hip-hop without acknowledging some of its darker moments. This is one of them.

No matter how one feels about the outcome of the Diddy trial, the things heard throughout the various testimonies, including one from Cassie while she was just over eight months pregnant with her third child, cannot be undone.

For me, this echoes the concern of many women, Black women specifically, who never speak out against their abusers, not only out of fear that they’ll retaliate and do something awful, but when the deed is done by a man with power and the stature of someone like Diddy, it’s hard to tell whether justice will ever fully be served.

The case reinforces that powerful men are often untouchable and plays a role in the many victims who walk around with the burden of what it means to be sexually assaulted. At the same time, the alleged abuser continues to live their lives, basking in the glory of what it means to be a power player in the game of life.

Whether that power manifests as money or, in my case, the hierarchy of the family structure, it still plays a factor in the silence that women often carry with them to the very end. One that becomes a silent killer, becoming the underlying cause of chronic conditions like hypertension, diabetes, and autoimmune disorders. 

Those suppressed emotions and the often spoken and unspoken expectation to be strong and resilient also lead to ailments that aren’t always visible, such as depression and anxiety.

With the case of Diddy, it’s hard to say where we go from here, but what I do know is that once again thanks to bravery of women like Cassie, and the women who’ve come before her like former Def Jam executive Drew Dixon who chronicled her allegations of sexual assault against another hip hop mogul, Russell Simmons, in the documentary on HBO Max titled On the Record.

We still have a very long way to go, and I would be lying if we were a step closer to uncovering some of the ills that are associated with men in power way too often.

RELATED CONTENT: Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop? Diddy’s Lawyer Officially Quits His Sex Trafficking & Racketeering Case

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Black Women’s Equal Pay Day: The Check Is Long Overdue [Op-Ed] https://blaqly.com/sub/black-womens-equal-pay-day-the-check-is-long-overdue-op-ed/ https://blaqly.com/sub/black-womens-equal-pay-day-the-check-is-long-overdue-op-ed/#respond Fri, 11 Jul 2025 09:41:39 +0000 https://blaqly.com/sub/black-womens-equal-pay-day-the-check-is-long-overdue-op-ed/ Source: FG Trade Let’s be clear: Black Women’s Equal Pay Day is not just a date on the calendar—it’s a glaring receipt—one ...

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Source: FG Trade

Let’s be clear: Black Women’s Equal Pay Day is not just a date on the calendar—it’s a glaring receipt—one marked by exhaustion, resilience, and the deep cost of being chronically underpaid.

Black Women’s Equal Pay Day on July 10, 2025, symbolizes how far into the year Black women must work to earn what white, non‑Hispanic men earned by the end of 2024—highlighting a staggering reality: Black women who work full-time year round make just 66 cents on the dollar nationally. Over a 40-year career, that disparity can result in nearly $1 million in lost earnings.

In the immortal words of Fannie Lou Hamer, “We are sick and tired of being sick and tired.”

RELATED CONTENT: Black Workers Still Struggle To Make Ends Meet As Economy Adds 143,000 Jobs In January—‘These Jobs Are Trash’

In Mississippi, where I’m from, the gap is even wider: Black women here, including part-time and seasonal workers, earn just 53 cents on the dollar. And as if things couldn’t get worse, as of June 2025, the unemployment rate for Black women, not just in Mississippi but nationwide, rose to 6.1%—up from 5.1% in March—the highest jump of any demographic group, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

But here’s the thing: we’ve done enough explaining why closing the wage gap among Black women and white men is critical, pointing to its direct impact on our families’ economic stability, access to essential healthcare services, safe housing, childcare and overall safety. Bottom line, the check is long overdue,  and now—particularly on the heels of vast Medicaid cuts and SNAP reductions among other life shifting setbacks—Black women must demand it. 

In this demand for equal pay, we must push each other to make this an issue in the boardrooms, break rooms, and, most of all, at the ballot box. Nationally, we must continue to push for policies like the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would strengthen the Equal Pay Act by banning salary history questions, enforcing transparency, and protecting workers from retaliation when they talk about pay. 

In Mississippi, we are hard at work in our effort to strengthen our state’s so-called “equal pay” law, an outrageous sham and devastating setback for women in the state—especially Black women—shortchanging them thousands of dollars each year due to gender and racial wage gaps. Under the guise of equity, this law rubber stamps employers’ decisions to pay women less than men for equal work by explicitly allowing them to rely on applicants’ prior salary history and on continuity of employment history to set pay. It suggests that it would be acceptable to compensate a woman less than a man performing the same work simply because she may have taken time away to welcome a child or care for a sick loved one. Such a precedent only serves to further entrench gender pay disparities across Mississippi’s workforce, similar to other workforces across the South, unfairly penalizing women for the roles and responsibilities society so often expects them to bear.

We must also advocate for the Equal Rights Amendment to actually enshrine gender equity into the U.S. Constitution, giving Black women stronger tools to fight wage discrimination head-on.  

Source: Deagreez

And we can’t forget to call upon the powerful legislative tools we have, including the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which ensures that workers can file wage discrimination claims within 180 days of receiving a discriminatory paycheck, rather than from the date of the discriminatory decision. This law extends the time window for workers to seek redress for pay discrimination, helping to address ongoing pay disparities based on gender, race, or other protected characteristics.

We must educate workers about their rights under federal law, as well as train our young people on how to negotiate their wages.

And when elected officials fail to act in the interest of our pocketbooks, we must speak up—and loudly. We must urge each other to call these lawmakers about it. To write them. To show up to their offices. To support allies such as Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro and Washington Sen. Patty Murray, who have long fought for equal pay for Black women, while holding accountable those who have not. 

This fight is far from theoretical for me. I grew up in Jackson in the 1970s, with my mom and aunt hiding me in utility closets as a toddler while they cleaned state agency buildings across the street from the State Capitol—the same Capitol where lawmakers have repeatedly refused to raise the minimum wage for its people. This wasn’t neglect. It was survival. Just like the mothers and aunties of today, they worked multiple jobs, barely scraping by, and still came up short. On top of that they were penalized for asking questions about their pay, or for taking time off work to safely have their children. Or they were docked pay because they dared to serve as caregivers to family members who needed them, and passed over for well-deserved promotions, all the while being gaslit into believing they just “needed to work harder” to earn what they were worth. 

As Black women we have long been told we must “lean in,” work smarter, or just do more—as if doing these things will close the wage gap. But the truth is, this gap has never been about effort. It’s rooted in good old-fashioned racial and gender discrimination. Since the very beginning, Black women have been underpaid, undervalued, and overrepresented in pay inequity, many of us barely making ends meet in the 40 lowest-paying jobs in America—roles that often lack even the most basic protections for us and our families, like health insurance or paid leave.

Enough.

Source: FG Trade

Across the South, Black women—including Rep. Zakiya Summers and Sen. Angela Turner Ford, who are both in the Mississippi Legislature and are vocal advocates for equal pay and workplace equity—are championing policies to fight salary secrecy, expand paid leave and Medicaid equitable parental support, and centering the needs of working families. They, alongside the rest of us, reject the baldfaced lie that there’s just “not enough in the budget” for Black women around pay, reminding anyone who’ll listen just how critical our labor has been to this country—and just how much the U.S. economy depends on us continuing to help hold it up. 

This year’s Black Women’s Equal Pay Day is not just a passing moment—it is a mandate. 

Black women must demand that the Trump Administration and Congress end the attack on Black women’s economic security by once again embracing diversity, equity and inclusion programs, not continuing its slashing of federal jobs, and working with intention to strengthen the workplace rights that benefit all Americans. The check is long overdue, and we’re not leaving the table without it. 

RELATED CONTENT: The Job Gap Persists: Black Women Facing Higher Unemployment Than Everyone Else

Cassandra Overton Welchlin is the Executive Director of the Mississippi Black Women’s Roundtable (MS BWR), where she advocates for the economic security and civic engagement of Black women and girls. With more than two decades of experience in policy reform and grassroots organizing, she has been featured in national media and received multiple awards for her leadership. Cassandra is a licensed social worker, a fellow of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She lives in Mississippi with her husband and three children.

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Sonya Massey Deserved Help, Not A Bullet—1 Year Later Her Killing Still Haunts Her Family And The Community [Op-Ed] https://blaqly.com/sub/sonya-massey-deserved-help-not-a-bullet-1-year-later-her-killing-still-haunts-her-family-and-the-community-op-ed/ https://blaqly.com/sub/sonya-massey-deserved-help-not-a-bullet-1-year-later-her-killing-still-haunts-her-family-and-the-community-op-ed/#respond Fri, 11 Jul 2025 06:43:23 +0000 https://blaqly.com/sub/sonya-massey-deserved-help-not-a-bullet-1-year-later-her-killing-still-haunts-her-family-and-the-community-op-ed/ Source: Source: Wikipedia / Wikipedia / Source: Wikipedia / Wikipedia Last summer, on July 6, we learned of a new reason for ...

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Source: Source: Wikipedia / Wikipedia / Source: Wikipedia / Wikipedia

Last summer, on July 6, we learned of a new reason for the police to kill an unarmed Black person: a pot of hot water.

Sonya Massey, then 36, had called 911 when she suspected an intruder at her home in Springfield, Ill.

According to an Illinois State Police summary of her shooting death, when police arrived, deputies did indeed see a car at Massey’s home that looked broken into. After knocking on the door, the two officers claimed they found her “distraught and not thinking clearly.” But instead of treating her as a person in need of help, she was ultimately treated as a criminal, and after an exchange, subsequently executed.

Sangamon County Deputy Sean Grayson, reportedly stood roughly 10 feet away from Massey, and motioned to a pot on the stove in her kitchen. At one point, Grayson responds to Massey, “Getting away from your hot, steaming water.” In response, the summary says she repeats twice, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”

Grayson greeted that with, “I swear to God. I will shoot you right in your f—— face.”

And so he did, but not before she dropped the pot and crouched below a line of cabinets with her hands in the air after apologizing as he drew his gun and pointed it at her.

Though she did get back up and grabbed the pot again in defense, when she threw the water, Grayson’s response was to fire his gun three times—one of the bullets went directly into her face.

If this does not sound barbaric enough, after the shooting, when the second deputy in the home claimed he planned to retrieve a medical kit, Grayson told him not to. The other deputy did anyway and remained with Massey until medical help arrived. Grayson never bothered to help the distressed woman he was sent there to help, but ended up shooting in the face.

He has since been indicted on charges of first-degree murder, and more recently, a new pre-trial date has been set, where he will stand trial on Oct. 20 for the murder of Sonya Massey.

RELATED CONTENT: Stop Laughing—This Toddler’s 911 Call Over Ice Cream Could Have Turned Deadly [Op-Ed]

Protesters gather in Washington Square Park and marched towards Times Square to call for justice in the police killing of 36-year-old Sonya Massey in her home, Illinois on July 25, 2024 in New York, United States. Source: Anadolu

Massey’s family attended the brief pre-trial hearing before Seventh Circuit Court Presiding Judge Ryan Cadagin last month.

Sontae Massey, a cousin of Sonya Massey, told reporters, “We’re going to be at all of the hearings. They could have a hundred hearings between now and Oct. 20. We’ll be at each and every one of them.”

In February, the family reached a $10 million settlement with officials in Sangamon County.

As much as they seek justice for her killing, however, a separate interview highlights that beyond her victimhood, Sonya Massey was a mother and a loving person who has left behind a hole in the hearts of family, friends, and the people in her community.

Speaking with NewsChannel20 in Springfield, Ill., ahead of the one-year anniversary of her shooting, Massey’s family described her as “a hard-working mother who ensured her kids were well taken care of.”

Indeed, her son, Malachi Hill-Massey, spoke fondly of his late mom in an interview with the Springfield State Journal-Register ahead of his high school graduation.

“She showed me ways of her being caring,” Hill-Massey explained. “She’s a helper, a carer, for everybody. She would help somebody before she would help herself.”

He said he finished school early “for his mom” and Sonya’s mother, Donna Massey, said in the same interview, “We’re so happy that he’s made his mama proud. We can feel her shining down on us. I know she’s happy.”

And Malachi has a plan: he will attend trade school for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, citing his mom as his motivation to succeed.

“I think about it all the time,” he said about her killing. “I’m young. I need my mom still.”

And as a grieving son, I related to him saying he is following the trial “as much as [he] can,” but “I’m still grieving. It’s a wearing process. I’ve lost people before, but when it’s someone you’re with literally every single day, someone I talked to every single day, it’s different.”

Source: Sangamon County Jail / Sangamon County Jail

As for her shooter, Sean Grayson, Malachi said: “You can’t say it’s not senseless. You were supposed to be protecting her. How could you turn your gun on her? Why would you even think about lethal force before a taser? He could have tased my mom. He could have pepper-sprayed her, anything before shooting her.”

As frustrating as her loss remains, I take heed to her cousin Sontae Massey’s caution that while the world remembers Sonya as “the tiny woman speaking to the police in the final moments of her life, she’s so much more than that.”

“I miss her everyday,” Sontae shared. “I miss the Sonya that, I would go over to mom’s house, and we would crack jokes, and she would make fun of me and she would share a laugh with me. I miss that Sonya.”

The family said that they feel the hype of Sonya’s name has started to die down, thus doing interviews like this one, helps them do everything in their power to keep her name alive.

That is admirable, especially given the circumstances, but let us do our part to help keep her name alive, too.

We say her name not only as a victim of police brutality but as a loving mother, daughter, cousin, and friend who brightened the lives of the people around her and, like far too many Black people in this country, continue to have their light unjustly and untimely dimmed.

RELATED CONTENT: #Justice4Sonya: Sonya Massey’s Family Reaches $10M Settlement In Wrongful Death Case

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How Diddy’s Trial Sparked Online Discourse, Misogyny And Victim Blaming In Hip-Hop [Op-Ed] https://blaqly.com/sub/how-diddys-trial-sparked-online-discourse-misogyny-and-victim-blaming-in-hip-hop-op-ed/ https://blaqly.com/sub/how-diddys-trial-sparked-online-discourse-misogyny-and-victim-blaming-in-hip-hop-op-ed/#respond Fri, 11 Jul 2025 05:12:08 +0000 https://blaqly.com/sub/how-diddys-trial-sparked-online-discourse-misogyny-and-victim-blaming-in-hip-hop-op-ed/ Note: This article contains allegations of sexual abuse and domestic violence.  Source: ANGELA WEISS The Sean “Diddy” Combs trial (United States v. ...

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Note: This article contains allegations of sexual abuse and domestic violence. 

Source: ANGELA WEISS

The Sean “Diddy” Combs trial (United States v. Combs) has concluded at federal district court in New York. Over the past few weeks, a plethora of information emerged in the sex-trafficking and racketeering case, which is expected to reach a verdict soon, per Judge Arun Subramanian. Jury deliberations began Monday (June 30). The trial was not televised, since cameras are typically not allowed in federal criminal proceedings. Moreover, Combs, wearing non-prison clothing and displaying noticeably gray hair, has reportedly been stoic in court lately—a contrast from being “a little nervous” amid jury selection. Perhaps the courtroom support from his family, including his mother and young adult children, could be a factor in his demeanor. Or maybe it’s his trust in the all-star defense team.

Meanwhile, outside the courtroom, the scene in lower Manhattan has been a spectacle. There’s been the intimidating police presence, overwhelming media frenzy, overnight encampments, perplexed citizen journalists, and bystanders—not to mention the “Free Diddy” supporters. The felonious atmosphere seemingly added a layer of distress to an already highly publicized case. Combs, 55, who was indicted in September 2024, is facing five criminal counts, including racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution. BBC reports that several of the most severe allegations relate to the racketeering conspiracy (RICO) charge. The disgraced rapper, producer, music executive and Bad Boy Records founder has pleaded not guilty to all charges. If convicted, he faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum lifetime prison sentence. 

RELATED CONTENT: Diddy’s Sex-Trafficking Trial Kicks Off: Defense Says ‘Baby Oil’ Isn’t A ‘Federal Crime’ As Hotel Security Takes the Stand

Cassie’s testimony against Diddy triggered victim blaming and shaming

Since the very beginning, the government’s star witness, singer and model, Cassanda Ventura (mononymously known as Cassie), was at the center of the trial. After taking the witness stand against Combs, she was met with misogyny, victim blaming, and female shame (e.g. sex shaming) throughout the trial. “I hope that my testimony has given strength and a voice to other survivors, and can help others who have suffered to speak up and also heal from the abuse and fear,” Cassie said in a statement via her attorney Doug Wigdo, following opening statements in May.

Visibly pregnant at the time of her shocking testimony, Cassie, 38, recently gave birth to her third child with her husband, Alex Fine. “I have felt tremendous pride and overwhelming love for Cass,” Fine said in a statement, also through Cassie’s attorney. “I have felt profound anger that she has been subjected to sitting in front of a person who tried to break her. You did not break her spirit nor her smile.”

Cassie’s testimony spanned over four days, including two days of cross-examination. She stated in court that her 10-year on-and-off relationship with Combs was filled with violence, drug use, and abuse. What’s more, the infamous 2016 hotel security video was allowed into evidence, despite Combs’ defense attempting to get the footage excluded. Obtained by CNN, the video shows Combs assaulting Cassie, allegedly after a “freak off” encounter.

RELATED CONTENT: Why Did It Take a Video to Make People Believe Cassie?

Following Cassie’s testimony, board-certified clinical and forensic psychologist Dawn Hughes testified as an expert witness for the prosecution. Hughes provided the jury with insight about domestic violence, sexual assault and traumatic stress. “No victim wants to be abused,” Hughes testified. “They stay in the relationship because it’s not just about hitting. It’s about a lot of abusive behaviors that make a victim feel trapped.” Per Hughes’ testimony, it’s common for victims to stay in abusive relationships, and a trauma bond can make a victim unwilling to leave.

“The fact that there’s an easily accessible video of Cassie being viciously assaulted by Diddy because she was trying to leave him and people are still asking, ‘Why didn’t she leave?’…” an X user posted amid the trial. During closing arguments last week, Diddy’s lead attorney Marc Agnifilo aimed at Cassie. Agnifilo argued that Cassie’s relationship with his client, Diddy, was a “great modern love story.”

Victim blaming affects victims and survivors, according to research 

Worldwide, 1 in 3 women have experienced physical or sexual violence; mostly by an intimate partner per the United Nations (UN Women). Years after the “Believe Women” era, which arose at the height of the #MeToo movement, our societal climate still attempts to silence and even shame women and girls, especially when it comes to serious matters like abuse and assault. For context, The Female Face of Shame by Erica L. Johnson demonstrates how shame structures relationships and shapes women’s identities.

“The female body, with its history as an object of social control, expectation, and manipulation, is central to understanding the gendered construction of shame,” according to the book (explained through the study of 20th-century literary texts). Female shame in the context of assault nonetheless refers to the internal feelings of self-blame, guilt and embarrassment. The unwarranted shame that surrounds blaming female victims is evident in this case, both inwardly (Cassie as a victim) and outwardly (the public’s perception).

To clarify, victim blaming is the act of holding a victim responsible for the harm they have suffered, rather than holding the perpetrator accountable. According to Southern Connecticut State University, a public research university, sexual misconduct stems from rape culture, i.e. the tolerance of sexual harassment. Southern Connecticut State University’s research mentions that victim-blaming attitudes make it harder for the victim/survivor to come forward and report the abuse. Interestingly, the university cites: “One reason people blame a victim is to distance themselves from an unpleasant occurrence.” Recommendations to combat victim blaming include: avoiding language that objectifies women, communicating consent with sexual partners, holding abusers accountable for their actions and reassuring survivors that the situation is not their fault. 

Hip Hop’s misogyny problem and the history of misogynoir

Upon the trial ending, we are beginning to see a reckoning—possibly the unfolding of the #MeToo movement in Hip-Hop. Allegations of abuse and control, alleged “freak off” incidents involving escorts, shocking text exchanges and even damning evidence from Combs’ properties have all been presented in court. Not surprisingly, the noise online regarding the trial is just as blaring as the courthouse chaos. The manosphere echo chamber and apologists’ cries are intertwined with roars of opposition.

At this moment, many women are blatantly vexed, repulsed and bewildered. A common thought to ponder is, Why are people blaming rather than believing, shaming instead of supporting? The disputes surrounding Cassie’s testimony ultimately traces back to misogyny, a form of sexism, that is, the ​​hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women. Hip-Hop clearly has a misogyny problem that’s been brewing for quite some time. Misogyny in rap was prevalent in the ’90s and 2000s and is still apparent today. Over the decades, rap’s lyrical content and music videos have not only platformed misogyny, but also patriarchy, sexism, homophobia, partner violence, hyper-masculinity and hyper-sexuality. The embedded normalization of these themes creates an atmosphere that overlooks the degradation and objectification of women, specifically Black women, which in many cases is misogynoir. 

RELATED CONTENT: 8 Times Hip-Hop Has Expressed Homophobia And Misogynoir

Coined by Black feminist scholar and activist Moya Bailey in 2008, misogynoir is the combined force of anti-black racism and misogyny directed towards Black women. For example, there is Dr. Dre’s physical assault of journalist Dee Barnes, along with assault claims from his former girlfriend Michel’le (incidents he publicly apologized for in recent years.) In hindsight, Black women across the spectrum of internalized racism (e.g. colorism, texturism, featurism, socioeconomic backgrounds, etc.) deserve to be listened to and believed without fear, pushback or ridicule. But women of color are often not afforded the same grace in terms of gender-based violence.

Megan Thee Stallion’s case is also misogynoir in today’s culture

Most recently, we’ve seen an overload of unkind opinions on social media geared towards multiple Black women in the industry—Halle Bailey, Skai Jackson and Megan Thee Stallion. Particularly, Megan Thee Stallion, real name Megan Pete, has been unfairly scrutinized in a way similar to Cassie for simply voicing her truth as a victim of violence. “Even as a victim, I have been met with skepticism and judgment. The way people have publicly questioned and debated whether I played a role in my own violent assault proves that my fears about discussing what happened were, unfortunately, warranted,” Megan penned in a 2020 op-ed calling to protect Black women, ahead of Tory Lanez’s (legal name Daystar Perterson) court hearing at the time. 

Is Diddy guilty or not guilty?

Various witnesses have testified in addition to Cassie. Combs’ former personal assistant, Capricorn Clark, Cassie’s mother Regina Ventura, Dawn Richard and Kid Cudi have all taken the witness stand along with legal officials and anonymous witnesses. Amid a mountain of testimony, shocking developments, celebrity name drops and even a denied mistrial request, the question on everyone’s mind remains. Is Sean “Diddy” Combs guilty or not guilty?

Regardless of bias and personal views, the fate of Diddy is not up to public opinion. In the court of law, the jury decides guilt or innocence based on the evidence presented in court. However, this case had many twists and turns, even revelations, that can intensify both the prosecution and defense. For now, the world will be waiting to see if Sean Combs, the once-prominent hip-hop multi-millionaire mogul (also known as Diddy, Puff, Love, P. Diddy, and Puff Daddy), will be convicted or acquitted.

RELATED CONTENT: Cassie Testifies In Diddy’s Sex-Trafficking Trial: ‘Freak Offs’ Lasted Days, ‘Sean Controlled My Life’

If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text “START” to 88788.

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