Coalition wants end to Broadcasting Music that Encourages Violence Against Blacks

Dr. E. Faye Williams/ National Congress of Black Women
Dr. E. Faye Williams/ National Congress of Black Women

While recognizing sexual misconduct as deviant behavior is at the forefront of mass media, sexual misconduct and violence against Black women is being promoted and normalized on radio stations that target African American audiences, several groups said in a news release.

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Correspondent

 

Organizations and movements representing African Americans in general, and Black Women in particular, said they’ve continued to unite in defense of Black youth whom they said are being inundated with misogynistic messages from Urban Radio stations that target the Black community.

While recognizing sexual misconduct as deviant behavior is at the forefront of mass media, sexual misconduct and violence against Black women is being promoted and normalized on radio stations that target African American audiences, several groups said in a news release.

As this music remains in heavy rotation on radio stations that target Black youth, they continue to be financed with commercial advertising support from major corporations like McDonalds, Subway Restaurants, State Farm Insurance, JC Penney, Adidas and others, according to the organizations, which include the National Congress of Black Women; The National Black Leadership Alliance; Dr. Jacquelyn Jordan, who represents Black Nurses; Dr. Calvin O. Butts, Chair of the Social Action Committee Progressive National Baptist Convention; and Dr, Evelyn Jenkins, NCBW Prince George’s County, MD.

The coalition also includes Sapphire Harris, Chair of People With Disabilities; Marcia Harris, of Educate2Empower; Lakisha Davis-Small, the founder of Stop Stealing Our Souls; Kwabena Rasuli Chair, of the Clear The Airwaves Project; and Johnnie Scott-Rice, the Chair of the Board of United Black Fund and DC Chapter of NCBW.

“We are asking these corporations to remove their commercials as long as these stations continue to play music that demeans, denigrates and promotes violence against women, with Black women as the primary target,” the coalition said in a news release.

Others in the coalition also include Dr. Lezil Baskerville, president and CEO of NAFEO; The Thelma D. Jones Breast Cancer Fund; The Central Brooklyn Leadership Council, NYC; Gloria Ravenell, Vice Chair National Congress of Black Women, Metro DC Chapter.

Also, Jay Winter Nightwolf, host of The American Indians Truths, WPFW-FM, Washington DC; Philip Jackson, Chair, The Black Star Project, Chicago; and Sadiki Kambon, of the Nubian Leadership Circle.

“These stations program a consistent playlist laced with demeaning and degrading lyrics while constantly using the ‘N’ word in order to make it clear that they are only referring to Black women,” said Bob Law, the national radio personality and Chair of the National Black Leadership Alliance.

The coalition points out that lyrics calling women bitches and ho’s, celebrating gang rape, sexual assault, and even kidnapping women are common in songs being sung by prominent rap artists.

They cite lyric by Kanye West and Lil’ Pump from the song, “I Love It,” which includes the words, “Your such a F—ing Ho, I Like that Ho … give me so mo…, you trifling B—th.”

Also cited are lyrics from 21 Savage and Blocc Boy JB from their song, “Rover 2.0,” referring to using a Range Rover for drive-by shootings, “If a N— dis the Blocc (referring to himself) he gon come up missing, if you want to find his body you got to go fishin.”

The song continues: “Coupe got the missing roof, your Ho’ came up missing to,-poof I just stole your boo, now ooh she gon eat the whole crew.”

Another song by 21 Savage says “Got my glock cocked to spray your block down, we not really with that Rah Rah Sh—t, I don’t give a F— who I hit”

The “urban” radio stations that play this kind of music also refuse to play music that does not demean and degrade Black women, thereby censoring artists like “Arrested Development” and “Dead Prez,” as well as Grammy Award winning artists like Gerald Austin and Melba Moore, the coalition said in a statement.

Further, the coalition noted that New York radio personality and spoken word artist Imhotep Gary Byrd, whose song “The Crown,” was rejected by Black music radio stations in America for being “too Black and too positive.”

However, the song which features Byrd and Stevie Wonder, was a well-received hit in Europe.

“Black women are human beings and have had our fill of being treated as though we are something less.” Said Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq., the national president of The National Congress of Black Women.

Williams said Black women play too great a role in improving their community to accept the demeaning way in which they are often treated by their own sons and daughters.

The coalition said it intends to target those corporations that currently receive significant support from Black consumer dollars, who continue to support these radio stations and will urge Black women to reduce their spending with these companies.

 

 

About Carma Henry 24455 Articles
Carma Lynn Henry Westside Gazette Newspaper 545 N.W. 7th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33311 Office: (954) 525-1489 Fax: (954) 525-1861

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