I do think folks should reflect on why a tweet that was really about me asking to be addressed by my name and title as a Black woman in academe received thousands of retweets (and a few hate emails telling me I ain’t shit and that I’m terrible to students).

If Dr. Jill Biden has to fight for respect, what do you think that’s like as a Black woman Professor? And for the academics who piled on, I thought in 2021, with race riots on the horizon, that you understood intersectionality and the basics of how shit is different for Blk wmn.

The pile on from academics and grad students I actually know feels unnecessarily extra, especially those of you who claim to understand Black feminism. Just know I saw it and/or heard about it.

Those of us who are more liberal can be bullies too. We can be and frequently are mean as shit to each other in the name of wokeness. We don’t take up arms but damn if we ain’t lethal with words.

Not infrequently I get death threats and other forms of harassment for calling out white supremacy. That doesn’t mean I am not above critique. But y’all. Did you look at those awful thousands of comments I received yesterday? From folks who appear to be more liberal?

I work really hard to educate in ways that open up academic spaces rather than replicating exclusion. I don’t agree with those who suggest that having professional standards around emails replicate those harms.

But even if we disagree, do y’all feel that I deserved that level of pile on? And if so, what level of moral high ground do we have to stop the bullying and violence on the right when the only difference is that we don’t kill people. But we try to soul murder people.

I don’t expect agreement or reflection here. I do hope folks hear the levels to this though. And I am attempted to offer a list of ways I have worked to accommodate my students during this awful pandemic. But why defend myself when my record reflects care and grace with them?

Academe has a record of extreme violence toward Black women. Folks want us to bend over backwards to be generous, caring, kind but the minute we ask for a modicum of respect or dare to assert a standard of treatment we are ridiculed, attacked, gaslighted, bullied & disrespected.

You can disagree with me vigorously without attacking my entire record, intentions, character etc. I deserve better than that. We all do. Peace folks. Back to my very busy damn day.