The article critiques contemporary attempts to 'defend women' as often being a cover for maintaining oppressive structures, drawing parallels to historical injustices like lynching. It highlights Ida B. Wells's insights on how perceived threats against women are often used as justifications for violence against marginalized communities, particularly Black individuals. Angela Davis's analysis underscores that the myth of the Black rapist was crafted to sustain white supremacy. The author wants to shed light on how these narratives can distract from addressing systemic inequalities and injustice.
The justification that Black people needed to be terrorized to prevent their revolt lost its power, as Davis says, "when it became evident that these conspiracies, plots and insurrections were fabrications that never materialized."
Wells was fighting the upsurgence of lynchings of Black people in the US after formal emancipation, emphasizing that crimes against women were merely an excuse.
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