A rant about studies done on marginalized people.
I’ve been given an opportunity to write on this platform which I truly appreciate. It’s a wonderful opportunity to air my views and to vent. That being said, today I’m taking the opportunity to vent!
I see a lot of posts regarding the study by the University of Stellenbosch and the uproar about it. I totally understand the outrage as I cannot fathom how in this day and age people are still being rated, perceived and judged by their colour and appearance! We are in the 21st century people….. Helllllooooo!
Whoever decided on this study, what were they thinking? Do they really want to know about coloured women? Do they really want to know the sacrifices we make on a daily basis? Do they know of our bravery? Do they know of our prayers every day? Do they know of our worries and concerns every day?
Talking about lifestyle choices we make! Do they know we don’t have a choice? We’ve been marginalized and overlooked for the longest time. We’ve had to work 4 to 5 times as hard as white or privileged people. We had to overcome obstacles that any sane person would have refused to be put under. We had limited choices and often no choice at all when abuse and degradation was forced upon us.
Do these people who conducted the study really think 60 people represent 2.3 million coloured women? That in itself tells me that whoever did the studies were too lazy or they believed their privileged life entitled them to not make any real effort on their studies.
Coloured women raised their privileged behinds, coloured women mothered those privileged so that their parents can have a job and give their children options when they grow up. Coloured women had to leave their families behind to run privileged peoples households.
I’m angry because this study actually brought back discussions I had with my father. He used to tell me how his mother had to leave them as babies with older siblings because they needed to work on the farms of the privileged people. Our parents and grandparents were deprived of parental guidance and supervision because they had to work for the privileged people.
So you can take your study and put it where the sun don’t shine. We as coloured women are the pure definition of being a strong woman. We’ve perfected the art of being strong, loving, sincere, assertive and having the backbone of what the privileged wish they had.
We were beaten but we refused to lay down. We were deserted but we refused to feel sorry for ourselves. We were out of choices and options but guess what, we made other ways.
So yes, how long do you think your study would hold any merit?
