A Conversation with Black Panther Rosemari Mealy

Recently, I had the pleasure of sharing space with Rosemari Mealy, a Black Panther Party member. A part of the “Bridging the Gap” series for NewsOne.com, our intimate discussion recounted the specific experiences we face as freedom fighters working within the confines of heteronormativity.

The first of these conversations is available, with more to be released throughout the month. Through them, we aim to uplift a pro-Black feminist narrative that is often left behind.

Black women will always be on the front lines of liberation, even if revisionist history tells us otherwise. Under the gaze of white supremacy, Black cisgender heterosexual men are uplifted as fearlessly humane freedom fighters, while the labor, contributions, and leadership of Black women are violently silenced and erased.

The story of Black liberation is not an ephemeral moment in time: it’s a prolonged, multi-layered struggle spanning centuries. Currently, Black Lives Matter protests are reinvigorating social consciousness about the depth of mass incarceration and police violence, while highlighting how patriarchy and institutional racism intertwine to disproportionately harm Black women and girls. Central to this movement is the leadership of the most marginalized: Black women and girls — both cisgender and transgender — are informing our global direction towards comprehensive racial justice.

The battle against state violence is daunting. As a Black Lives Matter community organizer, I often forget that efforts to mobilize against the white supremacist behemoth have been done successfully before by freedom fighters who look like me.

The stories of Black women matter. And these stories are crucial in dismantling the violent system that we’ve come to know as normal.