|
Mya B’s
Silence: In Search of Black
Female Sexuality in America
Exploring Sexuality from
a Black Perspective
Review By Rudolph Lewis
I like very much what Mya B has done with
the digital camera. Her first full length documentary,
Silence:
In Search of Black Female Sexuality in America, partakes of
a full-blown movement by conscientious black artists to put the
new technology to the task of our liberation as a people. Mya B
daringly undertakes to bring to focus our American heritage of sexual
puritanism and hypocrisy, a subject that
is only undertaken casually, though sexuality is such a strong undercurrent
to the stability of all our lives as Americans.
Mya B’s major point is that silence rules
black sexuality, particularly, black female sexuality. It
was Dr. Hilda Hutcherson (I believe), one of the featured authorities,
who said
her mother gave her this sexual prescription and nothing more:
“Keep your pants up, your dress down, and your legs closed.”
Dr. Hutcherson is a woman quite educated and middle-class, a
professional. So in her
case, sexual repression may have in a Freudian way transferred
energies into a certain kind of discipline, focus, and drive for
success. But Hutcherson concludes that her puritanism decimated
the intimacy between her husband (whom she loves) and her, and
they divorced. The relationship could not be reconciled.
Mya B interviews a good cross-section of
Black women, beautiful and often luscious, old as well as young
adult women in their 20s and 30s. That this silence
occurred for
this age group, children of my generation, suggests that the
sexual
revolution of the 70s and 80s did not run very deep in matters of
sex as it plays out in black life. So the black Baptist
preachers seem to have the last word on black sexual ethics,
these days. And their ambivalence toward sexuality is legendary,
witness Jesse Jackson.
Mya B puts forth the argument that black female sexuality is
governed more by the inadequacies of black Protestantism,
puritanical to the core, and unable to confront matters of sex and
sexuality beyond the proscriptions in the Bible. The attitude
is, Don’t ask, don’t tell. Be silent. Thus the general response of these young women is that their mothers told
them wait until marriage before sex, and nothing more. They all thought it
was good motherly advice. Few however followed it.
There was an Afrocentrist also who
spiritualized black sexuality into Maat, again a return
to ancient texts as a means of resolving post-modern realities. He says he and his mate
pray before they have sex. He thought that was light years
beyond the stereotypical structures in which the West has placed
black sexuality and particularly black female sexuality.
In the Manichaean world of black sexuality
in America, Mya B points out that there are two stops for the
black female: Jemima and Jezebel, one undersexed, the other
oversexed.
Both females have biblical correlates, and
both command in their own manner. Jemina is always rotund with a
scarf tie to the front. Her breasts are ample, and that was
necessary for she had to nurse not only her own children but
also those of her mistress. And in her affections she was thrown
into an emotional dilemma, the black baby (boy) at her breast is her
love and her blood; but she knows her realistic hope lies in the
affections of the white child (boy) on the other tit.
Opposite of Jemima, Jezebel does not give
way to the airy hypocrisy of Virginia patriarchy. These black
women know American white men, their need for slave cabins,
Harlems, and gangster honeys. And the dark of night. These
Jezebels know sexuality stark naked
stripped of romance and the Church as a field for power, for
struggle, or the
submission to power. It provides advantages and opportunities.
The few strippers interviewed said they loved to be sexy, naked,
dancing before an audience, and I assume, an audience that has
dollar bills to spend, the more the better. A female acquaintance concluded that
the whore was lying about her liking her job. I’m not quite so willing as she to abuse
what now is called “sex workers.” I’m a union man.
One of the most enlightening pieces of
Silence:
In Search of Black Female Sexuality in America is a rape
scene, repeated like a leitmotif. I’m uncertain about the source of the dramatization.
The scene has its sexual ambiguity on one level, and its shocking
revelatory aspect on the other. It takes place in a barn (or a
horse stable) on the hay, a beautiful, well-limbed chocolate
woman drenched in sweat and horror fights off the advances, the attack of a
white man, her master, presumably, or maybe an Irish
"nigger trainer." One senses, on one hand, why such a possession
(such a woman) is desirable; the other, is that the camera pans to
five or six black children watching the rape, and back to the
rape.
One comes to the radical conclusion: we are
the children of that rape, that we blacks of America are bastards. And that
America has been indeed SILENT on that issue of rape. Where all
these yellow babies come from, one is afraid to ask. We should
ask Nathaniel Turner's mama; she'll tell how it works, how it
happens, off the slave ship and in the homes of good Christian
white men..
It is something we
black folk should just get over, recommends the suburban soccer
mom. That’s what counseling and psychoanalysts are for. "Get a
hold of yourself, get over it!" This callous attitude toward the
profundity of black suffering, of course, is derived from the
ignorance of black life, by both blacks and whites, old and
young. We, it is not understood widely, are a people born in violence, much like America,
shaped by violence, and we have been slaughtered by outrageous
gang violence (entire villages and towns), and by torture and
lynching. There is a great measure of shame attached to this
existential reality of black life in America, this
vulnerability, this centuries long courting of death by black
men to carve out their own human reality.
Is there any psychoanalyst, guru, living
saint, or black Baptist preacher capable of healing such a chasm within
the black American psyche. We ask too much of individuals in
curing individuals of a dilemma so encompassing, so horrific. None should
expect that Mya B with her documentary
Silence:
In Search of Black Female Sexuality in America to resolve such a dilemma.
But I think Mya B’s film is a good start, despite its
shortcomings.
The major flaw in the argument of the film
is that there is an attempt to discuss black female sexuality
without a discussion of black male sexuality and white male
sexuality and the entanglement of the two. For it has always
been white men who (their cultures which) have established the
structures in which black sexuality has operated. And those
structures set black men and white men at odds, with black men
always in the weaker power position, that struggle undermines
societal accomplishments, thus decreasing their availability as
scholars, business men, family men, and respect from black women.
There is a kind of mother-child relationship
that exists too often between black men and their women. Too
much teenage love unresolved in the lives of black women. One
senses that black female sexuality has yet to really mature.
That may result because black women have not yet truly dealt
with the male sexuality issues of black men, and their
existential implications. In these days and times of evangelical
sway and republican ideologies of power at any cost, our
middle-class leaders tell us, in the name of self-reliance that
we cannot blame white people for anything, witness Bill Cosby.
Unfortunate, today we have the prevalence
of female positions that are oriented too much around the
personal (witness Oprah), outside the context of the larger struggles of black
life. Let me point out to you a statement made recently by spoken word
artist Ro Deezy, known also as "Sister Cypha":
|
You
cannot change a person. Too often, women hang onto unhealthy
relationships (both intimate relationships and same-sex
friendship) for the sake of having someone around. We need to
learn to stop identifying ourselves by our relationship status.
A lot of women stay in unhealthy relationships as a result of
their assumed inability to cope with the sadness or emptiness
that they may feel if they leave.
The
truth is, if you are in a bad relationship, chances are, you
already feel sad and empty. It’s one of the oldest saying in
the book, “you can do bad by yourself.”
"Sister
Cypha," www.Femmixx.com
|
Black
women sessions are filled with stories of their unhealthy
relationships with black men after the evening of pleasures has
resided. Many black women however have managed to disassociate
their sexuality from the church and even from men, though they
continue to have relationships with both. I was quite
shocked when I first heard a church-going friend speak in terms
of being "serviced." Of men making "service"
calls, or as the more hip call them, "booty calls."
Mya B’s film is not a Ken Burns
production. But I think she’s on her way to that kind of
artistry and
professionalism, and thoughtfulness. The dvd is worth any value she
places on it. I recommend it highly. Though it contains nudity
and semi-nudity (African slaves), I recommend its instructional
value for older teenagers, especially those of high school
age. It might indeed be an icebreaker for parents to use
in ethical and rational discussions about sexuality in
America with their teenage daughters and sons.
* * *
* *
Promotional Synopsis This
74-minute documentary explores the reasons for sexual silence in
the black community with historical facts and testimonies that
dates back to slavery and the myths that were created about black
women from slavery, the Jim Crow era, and up to now. In
this documentary, fifteen black women in Chicago from all ages,
backgrounds, and professions speak for the very first time about
their sexual wants, needs, and desires, aiming to clarify these
sexual misconceptions and reveal the truth about their sexuality
"in their own words." In the age of
misogynist hip hop, as black women are portrayed as
"freaks," Mya B sets to destroy the present sexual myths
about black women. Among those interviewed, Little X and Nzingha
Stewart, two well-known black music industry and the societal
impact of the "video hoe" images. Mixed
with melancholic music, film clips, and hard-hitting interviews
from every-day people, professors, and music video directors. This
film takes us on a journey into American history, unveiling
the hidden skeletons that lie deep in the bedrooms of many slave
owners. Mya B can be contacted at 718-398-0725 or myabrooklyn@aol.com
| Filmmakers Bio
Mya Baker is a young filmmaker
and raised in chi-town. She currently resides in brooklyn, NY
where she came to be around people of like mind in the
independent film industry. Graduating from Columbia College of
Chicago in 1995 with a concentration in film studies gave her
the writing and production skills needed to pursue her passion
as an independent filmmaker. She was inspired by film as a young child
with her indoctrination into the film world with the movie, Exorcist.
Since then, she has been a horror movie fan, and fascinated by
the works of Spike Lee, Mira Nair, Jim Jarmuch, David Lynch,
John Singleton, Pedro Almodovar and many others. |
 |
From working as a PA on several independent
films and interning, she decided to venture into her own
project. After two years of groundbreaking interviews and
obtaining historical information, she has just finished her
documentary entitled Silence: In Search of Black Female
Sexuality in America. This documentary has already
received a Telly Award for 2004 and has been making noise at
various film festivals.
Her first documentary short, Warrior Queen
was shown in 1994 at the Dusable Museum of African American
History at Chicago. Mya B also writes poetry and is well rounded
with her knowledge of music. She hopes to incorporate this
knowledge of music into her future productions by working with
hip-hop producers on film scores for her next projects.
She is now working on some feature length
screenplays and on a short film.
posted June 2005
* * *
* *
* *
* * *
 |
Sex at the Margins
Migration, Labour Markets and the Rescue Industry
By Laura María Agustín
This book explodes several myths: that selling sex is completely different from any other kind of work, that migrants who sell sex are passive victims and that the multitude of people out to save them are without self-interest. Laura Agustín makes a passionate case against these stereotypes, arguing that the label 'trafficked' does not accurately describe migrants' lives and that the 'rescue industry' serves to disempower them. Based on extensive research amongst both migrants who sell sex and social helpers, Sex at the Margins provides a radically different analysis. Frequently, says Agustin, migrants make rational choices to travel and work in the sex industry, and although they are treated like a marginalised group they form part of the dynamic global economy. Both powerful and controversial, this book is essential reading for all those who want to understand the increasingly important relationship between sex markets, migration and the desire for social justice. "Sex at the Margins rips apart distinctions between migrants, service work and sexual labour and reveals the utter complexity of the contemporary sex industry. This book is set to be a trailblazer in the study of sexuality."—Lisa Adkins, University of London |
* *
* * *
|
Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in
America
By Melissa V.
Harris-Perry
According to the
author, this society has historically exerted
considerable pressure on black females to fit into one
of a handful of stereotypes, primarily, the Mammy, the
Matriarch or the Jezebel. The selfless
Mammy’s behavior is marked by a slavish devotion to
white folks’ domestic concerns, often at the expense of
those of her own family’s needs. By contrast, the
relatively-hedonistic Jezebel is a sexually-insatiable
temptress. And the Matriarch is generally thought of as
an emasculating figure who denigrates black men, ala the
characters Sapphire and Aunt Esther on the television
shows Amos and Andy and Sanford and Son, respectively.
Professor Perry
points out how the propagation of these harmful myths
have served the mainstream culture well. For instance,
the Mammy suggests that it is almost second nature for
black females to feel a maternal instinct towards
Caucasian babies.
As for the source
of the Jezebel, black women had no control over their
own bodies during slavery given that they were being
auctioned off and bred to maximize profits. Nonetheless,
it was in the interest of plantation owners to propagate
the lie that sisters were sluts inclined to mate
indiscriminately.
|
 |
* *
* * *
 |
Weep Not, Child
By
Ngugi wa Thiong'o
This is
a powerful, moving story that details the
effects of the infamous Mau Mau war, the
African nationalist revolt against colonial
oppression in Kenya, on the lives of
ordinary men and women, and on one family in
particular. Two brothers, Njoroge and Kamau,
stand on a rubbish heap and look into their
futures. Njoroge is excited; his family has
decided that he will attend school, while
Kamau will train to be a carpenter. Together
they will serve their country—the
teacher and the craftsman. But this is Kenya
and the times are against them. In the
forests, the Mau Mau is waging war against
the white government, and the two brothers
and their family need to decide where their
loyalties lie. For the practical Kamau the
choice is simple, but for Njoroge the
scholar, the dream of progress through
learning is a hard one to give up.—Penguin
|
* * * * *
The White Masters of the
World
From
The World and Africa, 1965
By W. E. B. Du Bois
W. E. B. Du Bois’
Arraignment and Indictment of White Civilization
(Fletcher)
* *
* * *
Ancient African Nations
* * * * *
If you like this page consider making a donation
* * * * *
Negro Digest /
Black World
Browse all issues
1950
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
____ 2005
Enjoy!
* * * * *
The Death of Emmett Till by Bob Dylan
/
The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
/
Only a Pawn in Their Game
Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson Thanks America for
Slavery /
George Jackson /
Hurricane Carter
* *
* * *
The Journal of Negro History issues at Project Gutenberg
The
Haitian Declaration of Independence 1804
/
January 1, 1804 -- The Founding of
Haiti
* * * * *
* *
* * *
update 6 August 2008
|
