There have been times when I have felt unsafe in the passenger seat of an Uber/Lyft ride. When your driver is overly talking to you, how do you stop them from speaking? Recently, a family member of mine told me that sometimes they accompany their friend in an Uber/Lyft ride to their destination. When I asked him why, he said it makes her feel safe and I complimented him for using his privilege to protect.

It is important to do the little things like letting your friends know you made it home safely or sharing your location with a family member so they can track your route. I think we can all agree that he is going above and beyond, but I think it also shows the kind of times we are living in these days. Take a look at these statistics reported in 2019 by the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline:  

Womxn are and always have been targeted. I believe that there is an undeniable amount of entitlement going on in this world and we must remain cautious of people who want to take what we have. In an Instagram live video @misfit.marti says that, “The safety of women isn’t just our physical bodies,” and this made me want to open up about what this statement means to me.

When I think about all of the times I’ve called out misogyny, I’d say that nine out of 10 times, everyone just stood there like the mannequin challenge, watching. People hesitate to protect women and I’ve experienced this in various settings like Thanksgiving with family and Manny and Olga’s (after dark).

What started as a conversation offline turned into a podcast episode with Black Girl In Dior, hosted by MacKenzie Galloway. As a guest on her show, we discussed strategies and opinions about protecting Black women! We can all play apart in making this world safer for women and it’s not just about canceling people and careers. We can continue to create brave spaces so we can talk about these topics and share our experiences without being defined by them. Death to Toxic Masculinity. To love us is to protect us.