“She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted.”

Who's voice is silenced? Who's allowed to speak? Intersectionality allows us to see more clearly the institutional barriers to equality.

Yesterday, senator Elizabeth Warren attempted to read a letter written in 1986 by Coretta Scott King regarding Jeff Sessions. At the time, Sessions was nominated for federal judgeship. King wrote about Sessions record and stance on race. She wrote that "I believe his confirmation would have a devastating effect on not only the judicial system in Alabama, but also on the progress we have made toward fulfilling my husband’s [Martin Luther King's] dream." Sessions (now a senator) is nominated for the position of attorney general. Warren started to read the letter written by King as additional evidence of Sessions lack of fitness and qualification for the position of attorney general.


As she was reading, Warren was interrupted by senator Mitch McConnell, who accused her of violating rules against speaking poorly about a fellow senator. Warren was rebuked by being silenced for the remainder of the debate on Sessions nomination. A white woman was silenced by white men for giving voice to the words of a black woman. "As writer Broderick Greer tweeted out: “Tonight we saw that folk will go to great lengths to silence black women, even after they’ve died.”" (Valenti, 2017).


Sexism. check!
Racism. check!

Oh, but the story gets worse.

In a show of support, senator Tom Udall read King's letter in its entirety and was not silenced or rebuked. On the one hand, hooray for the letter being read and its words submitted into the official record. On the other hand, what the fuck?!?!

A white man is allowed to do what a white woman is not. The words of a black woman become legitimized and acceptable only when voiced by a white man.

Sexism. check!
Racism. check!
Mansplaining. check! check!

“She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted.”

We must persist. We must resist.