The reaction to the release of Bill Cosby’s 2005 deposition has once again proven an unfortunate reality — the validation of a man is valued more than the voices of countless female victims. Before the deposition’s release, several people were on the fence about whether or not Bill Cosby drugged and raped more than thirty women. Now many people have changed their minds and support these women. But what would have happened if this deposition was not released. Would these women be labeled as “attention-seeking accusers” or “victims?” Better yet, where would this case be today if Hannibal Burress, a man, decided not to bring Bill Cosby’s sexual assault record to light? Not only do we need a man’s word to believe a woman’s cries for justice, we need a man’s word to even have a woman’s cries to be recognized.

When we wait to get a man’s approval, especially the approval of the accused, to believe a woman’s rape allegations, we are perpetuating a culture that devalues women, their voices and their safety. We keep rape culture alive and thriving. By publicly calling these women liars we devalue another woman’s cry for help and allow our country’s rape culture to exist. We stay complacent and allow such horrors to go unseen and unheard.

Fortunately, this deposition might help these victims seek the justice they so longingly deserve. I am incredibly grateful for that. And yet, I find myself reflecting upon this whole ordeal and wondering how much media attention this story would have received if most of the victims were not white.

A majority of the victims who came forward were white women. What’s interesting about this case is that the media did not turn away these women as if they were attention-seeking vultures. No, instead reputable news outlets such as CNN invited these women on their shows for interviews, allowing them the opportunity to tell their side of the story. I don’t think many people understand how unusual this is. Our society frequently sweeps sexual assault cases under the rug, and the authorities and the public alike constantly question whether or not rape victims are telling the truth. So for several news channels to broadcast interviews with these women is something I would not expect.

Would this have been the case if most of the victims were black women? As much as I would like to say yes, I am certain that mainstream media attention would not have been so attentive to the victims.

There is a huge racial component to this scandal that people aren’t talking about. 

Throughout the past year, when the Bill Cosby story appears on the news or on social media, we see pictures of the beautiful white female victims in their youth and an old wrinkly black man. I believe this can illicit a more passionate, outraged reaction from viewers than if all of the victims were women of color. Our country has a long history of black men being the number one threat to white women in the eyes of the white community. Emmett Till was beaten and brutally murdered for whistling at a white women. The Scottsboro Boys were wrongfully accused of raping two white women.

Let it be clear that I am aware that many people use these past events to support the argument that Bill Cosby is innocent. However, I only use these occurrences to prove one thing — white masculinity is embedded in our country’s narrative and white women are coveted in a way that women of color are not. In our society, white women are a symbol of beauty and innocence — prizes to be won only by white men and shielded from those who could deflower them.

So for many people, the Bill Cosby scandal is incredibly wrong and horrifying to them not only because a man raped and sexually assaulted so many women, but also because they see a black man, our country’s symbol of domestic terrorism, defile white women, our country’s most innocent, prized possessions.

For this reason, it is hard for me to imagine many white men in particular speaking out on this issue. For example, we’ve seen celebrities like Judd Apatow call for justice for these women. It is great to see men vocal about this horrible abuse against women. But I can’t help but ask myself whether they would have been as vocal if these women were black. Would they feel just as protective over them?

So How Would The Media React If The Victims Were Black Women? 

Since January 2015,  Huffington Post has published and curated close to 100 articles concerning Bill Cosby’s rape allegations. An overwhelming majority of these articles were issued under its “Entertainment” and “Women” divisions. If the victims were black women, would we have seen so many stories issued from these mainstream sectors of Huffington Post? Probably not. Instead, they may have opted to let “Black Voices” take the lead, a division that does not frequently reach mainstream audiences. This is because news stories that involve violence or injustice against black people are primarily talked about in news outlets whose primary audience is black.

Frankly, most people do not consider stories about people of color to be worthy of mainstream news because people of color and the issues they face are not considered important. So many of the stories about black issues and the accomplishments of blacks are found on social media sites geared towards black people.

Why Do I Believe The Media Wouldn’t Care As Much If The Victims Were Black Women

The abuse of black women has sadly become the norm for our society. It exploits black women and their bodies for profit, and the media has no problem displaying and promoting this. We are valued less than white women, who represent our country’s ideals of femininity and beauty. And women of color are frequently at higher risks of sexual assault. For example, “Black women comprise 8 percent of the U.S. population but in 2005 accounted for 22 percent of the intimate partner homicide victims and 29 percent of all female victims of intimate partner homicide.” And black women experience intimate partner violence at rates 35 percent higher than white women.

Despite these alarming facts, many people have become desensitized when they see a woman of color abused. It is part of our country’s history. Since the times of slavery, black women in particular constantly face the Jezebel stereotype. “The Jezebel image is projected onto Black women to mark them as sexually promiscuous, lustful, and immoral or “unrapable.” The stereotype was used to justify the raping and forced breeding of enslaved black women. And despite slavery being abolished, this stereotype has weaved itself into our country’s perspective of black women. Even today, promiscuity and lewdness remain to be a few of the many stereotypes of black women. And our society uses these stereotypes to minimize the atrocities committed against us as if we are “asking for it.” Therefore, this makes it hard for black women to be heard when trying to voice sexual assault crimes.

Remember the Intersectionality of Being Black and a Woman in America

I haven’t learned anything new from the Bill Cosby rape allegations story. But it prompts us to question our country’s rape culture and how race can play a role. When it comes down to it, all women are silenced in our society. But we cannot deny that black women are valued less than white women. For society teaches its children that black bodies are disposable and do not matter. Therefore, our safety does not matter.

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