Bill O’Reilly’s repellent, on-air comment Tuesday has helped shine a spotlight on the ways in which black women are stereotyped and denigrated. The #BlackWomenAtWork hashtag that quickly blew up on Twitter after he publicly disrespected Rep. Maxine Waters, the most senior African-American woman in Congress, brought women’s stories of systemic, widespread and routine affronts rushing to the surface.
As an African-American woman, I am outraged. All Americans should be.
After watching a clip of Waters speaking on the floor of the House of Representatives, O’Reilly, appearing on “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday, ignored the substance of her comments and told the show’s hosts that he was distracted by her “James Brown wig.” This attempt to render Waters silent and invisible by making a caricature out of her appearance reflects the toxic social and political climate that we face across our country today.
It is certainly not the first time that a black professional woman has been subjected to such ridicule and disrespect, as the Twitter torrent quickly showed.
“My white man predecessor who had ‘private’ meetings after I left the room with top donors … even though I was in charge.” #BlackWomenAtWork, tweeted Brittany Packnett.
“I’ve lost count how many times I’ve been called articulate. Folks are shocked every time I open my mouth.” #BlackWomenAtWork, tweeted Maria Renee Lee.
And lest you still think this was an aberration, there was yet another example on the very day that O’Reilly chose to publicly insult Waters: veteran journalist April Ryan, also African American, was scolded by press secretary Sean Spicer for shaking her head during a press conference Tuesday at the White House. Spicer’s remarks were paternalistic and condescending, and many have legitimately questioned whether he would have treated a white male journalist in the same way.
We face dire issues in our country right now — a pending Supreme Court nomination, continued attempts to strip Americans of healthcare, a Justice Department that is abandoning civil rights enforcement, and unlawful and discriminatory policies that have been undertaken by the new administration.
These are the issues that require our focus and that black women are speaking up about. Bill O’Reilly and his cackling cohort on “Fox & Friends” may want to change the subject, but black women like Congresswoman Waters and journalist April Ryan are refusing to be silent and are using their voice to uncover the truth about this administration’s actions and to hold this administration accountable.
Bill O’Reilly has since apologized for his comments, but that does not cure a problem which appears endemic at Fox News. This was not an isolated incident but one among a series of incidents that raises questions about systemic race and gender discrimination across the network. Two black women filed suit against the network only Tuesday for conduct described by their lawyer as “reminiscent of the Jim Crow era.” In the suit, the women alleged that a Fox employee made racially charged comments, including suggestions that black men were “women beaters” and that black people wanted to physically harm white people.
And just last year, the network faced gender discrimination claims, including one that drew a $20 million settlement to resolve a sexual harassment suit. Fox also reached a settlement over allegations of sexual harassment against Bill O’Reilly last July.
Add to this toxic stew the lack of racial diversity on-air and we can see how someone like O’Reilly would feel free to impugn a black woman before an audience of millions.
Fox can do something about this: now is the time for the network to take action to purge itself of commentators — like O’Reilly — who promote racial, sexist and hateful rhetoric. Further, the network must promote diversity on air and provide training to dismantle stereotypes that appear to infect its ranks from top to bottom.
As for the shabby and insulting treatment of Waters and Ryan? African-American women are unafraid to speak truth to power and are incredibly resilient. It will take more than likes of a degrading O’Reilly or a bullying Sean Spicer to deter or silence black women in leadership roles who are focused on fighting back against ongoing discrimination and inequality.
I am proud to stand with Waters, Ryan and many other black women who are persistent in the execution of their professional responsibilities and committed to keeping Americans focused on the real issues.
