We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom

Punching Bag

Society expects Black women—particularly Black mothers—to be strong. Love writes that people treat Black mothers like punching bags, expecting them to absorb white rage for their families, which causes enormous stress. Love suffered from chronic stress until she sought help from a therapist.

We Feel No Pain Because We Feel Everything

Love cites data to show that racial bias negatively impacts Black people’s health. Medical staff routinely ignore Black pregnant women’s concerns, leading to high maternal and infant mortality rates. Studies show that Black women and their infants are particularly vulnerable to receiving bad medical care. A 2018 New York Times article found that Black babies are twice as likely to die as white babies. This disparity is wider than it was in 1850, 15 years before slavery ended, when Black women were treated like chattel (150). Serena Williams’s pregnancy and delivery experiences support the conclusions of the New York Times article. Serena has a documented history of pulmonary embolisms. These clots are common in women who give birth via caesarian section. Doctors dismissed Serena’s concerns about blood clots, only to discover a large hematoma in her abdomen during her caesarian section. She needed more surgeries to correct the problem and was bedridden for six weeks.