by Kaylee Phillips
As we reflect on our country’s past, it is important to think specifically of Black women who helped shape America and the disparities they face to this day. There are clear intersections between race and the sex trade. Black women and other women of color have historically been ignored or pushed to the side in the name of progress. We must acknowledge the harm of cultural factors and generational trauma in the sex trade in order to prioritize and protect women of color, which will in turn protect all women.
In her article “Prostitution: where racism and sexism Intersect” Vednita Nelson explains this point: “Racism makes Black women and girls especially vulnerable to sexual exploitation and keeps them trapped in the sex industry. It does this by limiting educational and career opportunities for African Americans in this country.”
Though African Americans are a minority group, there is a clear over-representation of Black individuals in the sex trade. Grantmakers for Rights4Girls found: “According to the FBI, 40% of victims of sex trafficking are African-Americans, with that number being significantly larger in the major metropolitan areas. In overwhelming numbers, the persons most likely to be victimized are vulnerable Black girls and women.”
When we think of those numbers, it is important that we speak about the importance of equity, rather than equality. In order to be truly equal, we need to provide our Black sisters with the resources, care, and love they deserve. At REST we believe: Everyone deserves to be loved.
When we think of these demographics in the United States, we should ask: How did we get here? What role did cultural influences play? In her article “Health Disparities and Violence Against Women: Why and How Cultural and Societal Influences Matter”, Tricia B. Bent-Goodley analyzes how cultural and societal influences impact health and health disparities among female survivors of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV).
Bent-Goodley shares that America’s current ideas around sex trafficking and IPV suggests: “survivors contribute to the violence… perpetrators are somehow less accountable for committing acts of violence.” The current cultural norm of victim-shaming may point to the reason why survivors of the sex trade feel trapped or unable to leave. We must protect our Black sisters, by listening instead of judging or shaming.
Our collective history makes us who we are today—and we can see history’s effects in the sex trade.
The Duke Office of Institutional Equity defines Intergenerational trauma as: “A concept developed to help explain years of generational challenges within families. It is the transmission (or sending down to younger generations) of the oppressive or traumatic effects of a historical event.”
They also share: “For example, a great grandmother who was placed in a concentration camp in Germany may have learned to cope by “cutting off” her emotions. Because of this, this grandmother may interact with her family in an emotionally distant fashion.”
When we think of the history of the United States, we must also ponder intergenerational trauma. The impacts of American slavery can be seen in the sex trade, and in African American life today. African American women like Serena Williams and Beyoncé—some of the richest Black women in our society, still dealt with birth problems, part of the still-living legacy of racial bias in the medical industry. At REST, we’ve shared before about Racism & Pornography, the history of anti-miscegenation laws and how they continue to contribute to disparities we see in sex trafficking to this day, and Systemic Oppression, Inequity, and Sex Trafficking, focusing on how the effects of the United State’s history of slavery is still seen in the lives of Black women in the sex trade.
We also see this same disparity reflected in our local demographics. In King County, trafficked minors are disproportionately Black girls, and sex buyers are disproportionately white men. You can read more about the experiences of some local survivors in our blog “Thoughts on Being Black in the Sex Trade”—one survivor recently shared about her experience of being exploited by white men: “They want me because I do not look like their daughters.”
Some have equated the current sex trade to modern-day slavery. And though there are correlations, at REST we typically avoid this language because it does not acknowledge the specific ways African Americans endured chattel slavery and the far-reaching implications of the generational trauma left in its wake.
When we look deeper into the relationship between sex trafficking and American culture, we need to acknowledge the impacts of slavery and colonialism. Generational trauma is carried with many African Americans today, and those effects can be especially felt by Black women who are survivors of the sex trade.
In our work towards ending sex trafficking, we need to protect the women of color who are disproportionality affected. We can start this process by listening, learning, and taking action. Listen to the struggles of your fellow Americans, be willing to learn from and about different ethnicities, and find ways to take action to provide equitable opportunities and success for all American people.
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