Messages Of Black Women's Empowerment Resound At Lorton Rally

LORTON, VA — Black women are succeeding more than ever in today's America, despite schools, workplaces and, most important, men continuing to devalue their contributions to society. That message, along with the abuse Black girls and women face throughout their lives, was a top takeaway from a Black women's empowerment rally held Saturday afternoon at South County High School in Lorton.

The rally, organized by a group of South County High School alumni who staged a march for racial justice last month, featured a student leader, educator, minister, Virginia gubernatorial candidate and others. Each speaker lent a powerful voice to the widely held belief that Black women need far greater support and representation in all facets of life, from getting treated with respect in their homes to getting hired as principals in schools to holding top political positions.

Jocelyn McCullough, a rising senior at Justice High School in the Falls Church area of Fairfax County and a student leader of the Equity Team at the school, spoke up about how students of color across the Fairfax County Public Schools system are still mistreated by teachers and other students on a regular basis based on the color of their skin.

"I wonder if that would change if we didn't just recruit principals and teachers from JMU but from HBCUs," McCullough said. "Black children need representation in their schools. We deserve to be led and taught by people who look like us."

McCullough explained that the Equity Team at Justice High School was created to amplify the voices of students and teachers of color and move the school in a direction where all students are given the individual help they need to succeed in life.

Leslie Houston, a Fairfax County Public Schools teacher who spent the first 15 years of her career as a journalist, told the crowd that Black women have been the "most abused and devalued women in America."

"We have endured being exploited and raped by slave owners," Houston said. "We have watched as our white colleague get opportunities in jobs that we knew we were qualified for. ... We have deep emotional wounds that date back to 1619."

Houston recalled when she taught middle school and Black girls would be disciplined by teachers and administrators for having a "negative attitude" when the girls were simply expressing their opinions. White girls, on the other hand, who were vocal in class were told that they were "spunky," she said.

Despite the wounds that Black girls carry into womanhood, "We are succeeding," she said.

"We are doctors, lawyers, educators, mayors, school board members, soon-to-be governors, organizers, entrepreneurs and prayerfully in November, vice president of these United States," Houston said. "We must continue to loudly declare that there is nothing we can't do."

Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy, who represents parts of Prince William and Stafford counties and is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2021, spoke about the protests since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis at the knee of a police officer.

"We will forever be changed," Foy said about the video of Floyd. "But now that there are peaceful protests with a purpose, which is good, we also need the policy to back that up to ensure that these types of tragedies don't happen here in Virginia or anywhere else."

Diamond Gantt, a minister at St. Stephen Baptist Church in Temple Hills, Maryland, said her goal as a faith leader is to inspire and protect Black women and ensure they are not left behind.

"From today's climate, we learn that resilience-building and planning cannot be sustainable if we do not involve Black women's voices in the planning itself," Gantt said. "We cannot be successful unless young Black girls are empowered to actively participate in the solutions — women-driven solutions."

Decisions in all facets of life have been made for Black women, with little or no input from them, she said.

"Black women have been in crisis, the crisis of being ignored for way too long," Gantt explained. "In the home, being taken advantage of. In the community, not being protected. In the classroom, not given the same attention. In the boardroom, disproportionate pay."

Gantt said Black women are sources of power, including "holding the Black community down during crisis and to build the Black community up after crisis."

For men, Gantt provided a long list of recommended solutions for empowering Black women, including shutting down negative "locker room talk."

"Advocate for your Black women colleagues," she urged the men in the crowd. "Lead by example. Be the example for other male counterparts."

"And last but not least, listen to them. You'd be surprised how many answers we hold," she said.