Morehouse Man? Genarlow Wilson, Rapist and Child Pornographer Gets a Fresh Start- -What About the Girls

I am sure many of you may be offended by the post title. Good! Consider us even! I really don't care if anyone else on the planet agrees with me... I'm too disgusted to care!

I don't have a problem with redemption. Lord knows I've found myself on a lonely Damascus Road a time or two in my lifetime, but one thing redemption requires is the truth.


What is the reward for smoking weed, drankin', making kiddie porn, turning one drunk/drugged/passed out girl into a trash receptacle for seminal fluid and making a 15-year-old into a porn star ? Well folks, your reward is a full scholarship to a prestigious university and accolades from the NAACP.

Yeah forget studying, staying out of trouble, treating other human beings with dignity and respect. No need to bother with that. You can engage in all manner of bacchanal behavior and receive rewards as long as your victim is a Black woman or girl and you manage to come in contact with "the system." Oh yes, because ain't nothing like having some constitutional protections trampled on to convert the sinner into the saint, the predator into the prey, and the idiotic, stupid, and dumb into "the boy genius." (he had a 3.949037 GPA didn’t you know?)

It appears that the Genarlow Wilson Redemption Story Arc has been completed. In case you missed it, Genarlow Wilson is now a true authentic African American hero. Most recently seen keeping company with politicians, preachers and potential presidents at Ebenezer Baptist Church as part of the MLK holiday festivities. To Mr. Wilson’s champions, I trust you won’t quarrel with this tiny little footnote in the Genarlow Wilson Redemption Story Arc.

Genarlow Wilson Redemption Story Arc (GWRSA)
You might be compelled to shed a tear or two after reading the flurry of Genarlow Wilson Redemption stories flooding newspapers and TV newscasts as Genarlow Wison, "the boy genius" (because after all he had a 3.943 GPA) headed off to Morehouse on a full scholarship provided by the Tom Joyner Foundation. HOWEVER, before you get all caught up in the Genarlow Wilson Redemption Story Arc , may I inject something that the Genarlwo Wilson Redemption Story Arc can't bear the burden of... THE TRUTH!

Now Genarlow Wilson Redemption Arc revisionists would have you believe that Genarlow Wilson was just a young man doing what young men do when he got sent to prison for ten years. They would have you believe that Mr. Wilson was making out with his 15-year-old girlfriend all by their lonesome when the law came in and ripped the young Romeo from the loving "arms"/”lips” of his beloved Juliet and tossed the star crossed lover in the clank for 10 years because he was a Black boy engaged in normal teenage indiscretions. He was a student athlete and honors student with a 3.9309720943 GPA.

Consent? Who needs consent?
Now Genarlow Wilson's champions love to talk about the "willing" or "consensual" 15 year-old girl. In fact you cannot read a single Genarlow Wilson Redemption Story without the word “consensual ” being listed. WHY? Well because consent matters in the Genarlow Wilson Redemption Story Arc and since there was no legal consent and for one of Mr. Wilson’s victims no actual consent, the GWRSA has just decided to inject some into the GWRSA because this heroic tale kind of sucks if there wasn’t consent.

"When you hear that it's 10 years for consensual oral sex for two kids, you go, 'That doesn't sound right,'" says Senator Johnson. "But when you see the tape, you see ... drugs, alcohol, attitudes, arrogance, and disregard. While it may be consensual, you don't know about intimidation or if she feels obligated. That's why you set an age in the first place where you can make a decision like that."Christian Science Monitor.

Consent is a legal term with legal meaning and legal consequences. A 15-year-old can't consent to having her ears pierced let alone having sex in the eyes of the laws of MANY states- So my question is when it comes to young Black girls, what exactly is the age of consent the minds of the GWRSA proponents? 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7? I mean if I read one more blog refer to what went on in that room as typical teenage behavior, I'm going to have to call Chris Hansen on the Black blogosphere.

What’s Missing From the GWRSA?
But moving past the annoying practice of trying to confer "consent" where the law says there can be none, I challenge you to find even one mention of a 17 year-old girl anywhere in the Genarlow Wilson Redemption Story Arc.

What 17 year old? Oh you haven't heard about her? Oh that's riiiight. The 17-year old and what Mr. Wilson did to her kinda mess up that whole Romeo and Juliet storyline because running a train doesn't really fit the Genarlow Wilson Redemption Arc plot line. She's hard to find because the revisionists have excised the 17 year-old's gang rape from the Genarlow Wilson Redemption Story arc:

The videotape was "Exhibit A" because it depicts a horrific crime: a gang rape of a semi-conscious, 17-year-old girl, followed by a bizarre display of sexual precociousness by a 15-year-old girl. That's the truth recorded by Genarlow and his friends that fateful night. I suspect that is also why Ms. Bernstein hated it whenever McDade used it to rebut her version of Genarlow's crime.

No matter how much (two glasses of Cognac) the 17-year-old may have had to drink, no matter how much she may have flirted with those boys, she did not consent to having sex with all of them, one right after the other. Yet it never occurred to the "smart" and "spiritual" Genarlow to say, "Stop it. We should not be doing this." No. Genarlow watched, waited and gladly took his turn. When they were through raping her, Genarlow helped his friends drag the comatose victim to the bathroom. They opened the door, pushed her in, watched as she fell to the floor and closed the door. I guess she wasn't much fun anymore. SOURCE

Oh yes my people. There is a tape. A tape that the boy genius left behind (BRILLIANT !). You can't see the same tape because it is child pornography, a minor detail, the authors and champions of the Genarlow Wilson Story arc want you to forget because if the tape is child pornography, then that would make those who made the tape???? Yeah exactly. Inconvenient truth creeping in again.

Victim less crime?

"He might've made a mistake, but it's not enough to throw this man away as a human being," said SCLC President Charles Steele. "This is an opportunity to bring about healing."ABC

Healing for who? Now " the boy genius' "champions will argue that an alleged abuse of prosecutor discretion, Georgia's convoluted and contradictory statutes which provided for ten years for oral sex while barely a year for intercourse make the actual facts of what went down in that Douglasville, GA hotel room irrelevant. I disagree.

Color of Change refers to what happened in that room as a "victimless crime" Oh really? Is that what you call a 15 year old being preyed on by older boys who know better? So Statutory rape is victimless?

Seventeen percent of the U.S. teen population is African American,
with 70 percent of black teens testing HIV-positive. One in 10
African-American teenage girls test HIV-positive in the nation's
capital, the highest percentage in the country among this age group.
When asked why such a high percentage test positive, Johnson said, "As
long as girls see themselves as glorified sex objects in hip-hop
videos, HIV/AIDS will increase within this
population. SOURCE

Now I got money that says that those one in ten- (mmm hmmm that means if you pull ten teen girls off the street in DC one of them will be HIV positive- yes DC's stats are approaching those in several sub-Saharan countries)- As I was saying...I've got money that says those one in ten Black girls were infected by their older "boy friends" who knew better. Because they are teen girls who lack any semblance of good judgment when it comes to matters of the "heart" (honey love ain't got nothing to do with it)- they are less likely to pause and demand from these older predatory men and boys the use of any kind of protection because if the older teen or man cared about her they couldn't be having sex with a child in the first place. Statutory Rape is not a victimless crime. Older men and boys preying on teenage girls is not a victimless crime. While sex may merely be a form of extremely enjoyable calisthenics for older men and boys, the consequences for teenage girls can be severe even deadly. Victimless crime my arse.

His Once and Future Victims?
Who would Genarlow Wilson be if he hadn't been stupid genius enough to commit sex acts with an underage girl on tape? Why he would likely be a Jr. or Sr. in college-a member of the football team. How many other young girls and women would he and his football buddies have run through? How many other "victim-less" crimes would he have committed? According to many of y'all he was acting within the normal parameters of malehood in America. How many other drugged passed out/semi-conscious women would Mr. Wilson have dumped on a cold bathroom floor when he got through with her? How many other teenage girls would he have passed around? Tell me how being caught up in Georgia's zany criminal code transformed Genarlow Wilson from gang rapist and kiddie pornographer into a saint worthy of a full scholarship and a profile in ESSENCE?

To the Victor Goes the Spoils
Y'all can engage in revisionist history if you want to. Removing all mention of the inconvenient details of the videotape "the boy genius" and his buddies shot. You can engage in revisionist history acting as if "the boy genius"could not have known that 15 will get you 20 (or in his case 10). You can try to completely erase all mention of the 17-year-old from your Genarlow Wilson Redemption Story Arc. You can even lie and say the 15 year old girl was Wilson's girlfriend although I challenge you to find a 17 year old boy that will pass his "girlfriend" around to his five buddies. So revel in your revisionist history where you basically write the harm suffered by the two girls in that room away. You have been very successful.

What About The Girls?

What about the girls? Did any of the marchers on behalf of Mr. Wilson ever reach out to the two girls who were just as victimized. Their lives were wrecked too except they have had to go through this ordeal ALONE. Nobody writes about the death threats the girls received.

Imagine how the 17-year-old must feel. Here she is- she's been gang raped. She goes through with prosecutions just like we're told to. What happens to her? She gets excised from history because the Genarlow Wilson Redemption Story arc only works if we forget what he did. The Genarlow Wilson Redemption Story Arc only works if was keep all the focus on "the boy genius" and never ask “what about the girls?"

So congrats Genarlow Wilson... you're a living breathing embodiment of the Black American Dream. Abuse black woman and girls ... get ahead. Rape and exploit young Black girls, get an award from the NAACP... Hmmm where have I heard THAT before? I guess the NAACP is keeping to its MISSION ("NAACP Contacts WADO- National Office Won't Be Speaking Out On Dunbar Village- Addressing Hate Crimes Against Black Women Not 'Mission'"

Scholarships For Everybody!

"I'm so happy Genarlow has decided to attend an HBCU [Historically
Black College & University]," said Joyner, whose top-ranked morning
radio show is aired in 115 markets reaching nearly eight million
listeners. "He's been through so much over the past couple years and
I'm glad the Foundation can play a role in helping him shape his
future. You know I'm passionate about my black colleges, and I've
always believed that these colleges offer a nurturing and
confidence-building environment." SOURCE

Now several of Mr. Wilson' compadres are being released as well – So I am assuming that Mr. Joyner is going to be handing out scholarships to those "innocent" young lads as well. I mean they were in that room that night too. They were "victims" of that pesky statutory rape law as well.

Since When Did Being Stupid and Predatory Turn You Into a “Victim”?
So all the boys who had the misfortune of stumbling into a hotel room on New Years Eve, accidentally bringing drugs and booze, tripping and accidentally performing sex acts on the body of an unconscious Black girl, and inadvertently dragging her to a bathroom and dumping her on the floor when they got through with her- yeah those boys meet the qualifications for the Tom Joyner Foundation Statutory Rapist Scholarshipolooza (TJFSRS)... But let me assure you that the ONLY people guaranteed NOT to get a full ride from the Tom Joyner Foundation will be the two girls who were in that room.

They're Black girls after all...who cares about them? Their families don't care-who lets their 15 yer old and 17 year old run around on new years eve. The law doesn't care. The “community” doesn’t care.

Morehouse President Dr. Robert M. Franklin welcomed Wilson to the campus, known for distinguished alumni, such as the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. filmmaker Spike Lee and former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher.

"Genarlow Wilson is representative of many of our young black men who
must overcome incredible obstacles before finding a place -- like Morehouse -- where they are valued, mentored and given the opportunity to reach their full potential," said Dr. Franklin, whose college offers more than 26 majors and enrolls nearly 3,000 students. "Given Morehouse's 140-year history and tradition of providing access to rigorous academic preparation, character development, leadership development and public service -- we firmly believe that Morehouse is
Genarlow's 'house', and that he will grow to embody the tenets of a Morehouse Man." SOURCE

I wish "the boy genius" all the best. If he is going to be running around out here in the land of the free, give him a good education so he can earn a living ( I predict a book any day now). I just hope that when he finally grows up that he treats the other girls and women with the same decency and respect that he claims to have for his mother and younger sister.

We will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

REFUSE TO BE SILENT! If you get time today... inquire into who much Tom Joyner has set aside for the two young women who were in that hotel room that night. Mr. Wilson isn't the only one whose life was destroyed... after all, "the boy genius" had the "community" wrapping their arms around him...the girls were thrown over the side of the ship because the Genarlow Wilson Redemption Story couldn't bear the weight of their memory.

Tom Joyner Foundation
(972) 789-1058 ext. 316
TJF@blackamericaweb.com

Genarlow Wilson is no Hero. Being stupid and predatory does not make you a hero. Being caught up in a conflicting statutory framework doesn't make you heroic. A hero is a young Black girl that can manage to wake up in the morning and keep breathing knowing that folks are holding her rapist on their shoulders and handing him out full scholarships, plaques, and invitations to sit beside politicians, preachers, and presidents.

Let that marinate!

Read Our Earlier Post:

Where's the Outrage over Kelly? Genarlow Wilson? ( Yeah, I went there) August 3, 2007

Comments

[The Angry Independent]

I read about this on someone else's blog about a week or two ago... and I just couldn't understand it either.

Then again, when it comes to Tom Joyner, the NAACP and all the rest... I guess it shouldn't be a shock. This is par for the course for these people.

The original crime was overshadowed in the media (and within the Black CRIC) by Wilson's case.

I thought the original sentence was too high... but I also disagree with the idea of rewarding him.

I also don't believe that the young ladies in this particular case should be let off the hook either.... I know it doesn't matter because they were juveniles... (at least one anyway).

But i'm tired of seeing young women who fraternize with certain kinds of young men, and put themselves in danger. (and parents allowing them to do it as well). I see this replayed over and over and over again, and the excuses are getting tired.

Just like the two women and their babies who were murdered in Indiana. The two women have been portrayed as Gold Star citizens, who were in the wrong place at the wrong time... and that they didn't contribute to their demise in any way. I know that this is a blog that advocates for Black women and girls, but in order to be credible, you have to tackle the fact that Black women bear some responsibility (in many cases) for their conditions, and for the risk of harm that they bring upon themselves and their children.

What I am getting at is this...
People make choices... adult women make choices. And they should be held responsible (at least to some degree) for the choices that they make. And a politician can't come in and stop people from making bad choices. These are issues of personal responsibility.

I don't read enough about personal responsibility here.
Kids...of course are not necessarily responsible for the choices they make, but adults are. I'm tired of the excuses that Black women like to make for other Black women.

Now I do not mean to imply that they somehow deserved their violent demise... But I do want to point out the fact that the choices they made got them into that situation... and that http://advanceindiana.blogspot.com/2008/01/hovey-street-mother-child-tied-to.html" REL="nofollow">these women were not angels.

Yes, let's highlight the scum who attacked these women... But I hope to also see WAOD highlight (when appropriate) women who continually make bad choices and who endanger the welfare of their children with those bad choices. Women get too much of a pass here.

This incident has been billed as part of the "war on Black women and their children"... and to some degree that is accurate. But when you ignore facts in these cases... and the personal responsibility of the mothers... it just damages your position IMO.

And these homegrown, urban terrorists are a problem for all.... trust me.

I'd like to see these cases put in better, more realistic and more factual context... with not so much hyperbole. Some of the hyperbole is fun...but in certain instances...it waters down what you are trying to do.

[LeAnne@Hairs My Story Team]

The Angry Independent:

with all due respect... shut up! I'm a college student so I understand how these parties where these situations happen. They take the young girls, get them liquored up, treat them as if they are better than any other girl and "let them go at". They lock the doors behind them and have a look-out make sure that no feminist or man with a conscience can see whats going on. I remember I walked unto a gang-rape ( and yes, when 3-20 men decend unpon some women to watch them have lesbian and all other grotesque sexual acts... it is gang rape.) I was promptly pushed away from the door so that I wouldn't have the opportunity to see anything and talk.
The next morning, the video got out around campus and I was chased down by a guy to watch it. It was too blurry to make out, but that was because it was a grainy phone clip of two white legs and pink cheeks pressed in between them. The men all bragged and boistered about the wild stripper who went down on the other stripper.

Now, tell me...Did these girls even stand a chance? Especially when you have high-and-mighty sorority girls and fraternity girlfriends wagging a finger in shame, exclaiming how that will never be them. These were the same girls who shun the strippers and blackballed them after rumor got out that they were dancing for a living (no doubt to pay the high fees of the "Anchors", seeing how they are worse than any debt collecctor. Sororities are ruthless) The few girls that were let into the "ole boys club" preached sisterhood, but laughed and gawked while these two women were exploited. And this is WHITE PEOPLE I'M DISCUSSING!

So, if you can only imagine how poorly this young 17-year-old black girl was regarded after it was said and done. If the two white women at my school wanted help, they could have gotten it easily. But when you have black men such as yourself jumping up to point the finger and place the blame in the opposite direction... it's a problem. for a long time, black men have allowed black women to get raped. First, it was because they were afraid of speaking back to the white man. Now, it's because black women are hoes? What is next? Why don't you just say "I don't care what happens to you, you black bitches. I'm too busy caring about myself."

No matter how much a white woman tarnishes her own reputation, she always have a opportunity for redemption. SOMEBODY is bound to marry her. SOMEBODY is bound to take in her illegitmate babies. SOMEBODY makes it their own personal mission to "save-a-white-ho". But, when you have the same shit happen to a black girl, all the black men jump up and argue that this is where the black woman becomes scum. So, what about these black boys?

Even if they are trying to emulate how the white elitist college student behaves... they don't have to! They do it because in the back of their minds, they feel entitled to the same sexual exploitations that white men for centuries have divulged in. Why didn't Genarlow run a train on a white woman, if he wanted to be seen as equal and it's all in good innocent fun? Why did the little black girl have to be the one who was ravaged by the masses with no hope or avail?

Please, answer that, Mr. Out- Of Touch overseer.

P.S. Shut up with that Indiana case. Those were babies, you ass. Babies caught in the line of fire. would you have felt the same if a black woman had shot the victim (let's say, a black male) and he was holding two bumbling black babies?

http://www.hairsmystory.com" REL="nofollow">hairsmystory.com

[Halima]

Gina

i think we might have missed a great opportunity to use this issue to clearly and unequivocally highlight how the black communty and black establishments, disregards, disdains and subordinates black women and more especially black girls!

on many levels this is one case that clearly shows how bw are 'thrown under a bus', the Bc gender priorities, the dynamics working to subordinate bw, the ease at which bw are sacrificed, how they are deemed irrelevant, very expendable and an 'acceptable collateral' in these point scoring sessions with 'the system'. Has any other case indeed clearly shown what the general worth of bw is in the BC? I doubt it!

I mean one could write a whole thesis on the various angles of bw subordination this case yields up.

Yes the mind of both the black establishment and black folks (even in blogosphere were you would expect better critical thinking)in general towards bw, is clearly revealed so very comprehesively, and as a result it could have yielded us the opportunity to confront the cancerous and endemic anti-bw sentiment in the community, in the same way dunbar highlighted the war against bw in their homes.

Is it too late for this issue to form a template for us to confront the problematic atitudes towards black girls, in the same way dunbar became a focal point on this blog? (Protecting the identity of the black girls of course)

[Tweet]

They're Black girls after all...who cares about them? Their families don't care-who lets their 15 year old and 17 year old run around on new years eve. The law doesn't care. The “community” doesn’t care.

Are you assuming the family doesn't care, or is this fact? Just because the girls were out on New Years Eve doesn't mean that the family doesn't care. If you have seen it once, you have seen it a thousand times -- young kids (both boys and girls) sneeking out, defying their parents, and doing what they want. But that does not equate to parents/family not caring. Rebellious, curious, adventurous children maybe, but we can't make that assumption about the family -- IMO.

What do you suggest the community do or should have done? I understand what you are saying in the post, but at this point what are your sugestions in terms of assisting these young ladies? Should they get scholarships, too? Given the nature of the crime, those outside of that particular area do not know these ladies names...What steps are you proposing that we can take to rally around them? You asked the question "What about the girls," but I did not see much in the post in terms of answers (other than asking Tom Joyner how much money has been set aside for the girls). Clearly you don't think a scholaship will suffice for what they have been through... :-/

[msladydeborah]

This is a powerful post WOAD. It is a damn shame that not enough attention was paid to the victims. This is a point that needs to be raised up within the national black community.

It would be nice to see the young women receive an outpouring of support to rebuild their lives. Is there anything that can be done to forward that idea?

[Wary]

The issue of engaging in sexual activity with underage girls by older teenagers and men, either one-on-one or by a group, is SO PERVASIVE in the black community...especially in urban communities. Many folk, men and women, do not perceive it as a violation, particularly if the girl is at least 14 years old (now if white men were doing the same to these black girls, then of course that would be a whole 'nother discussion all together...these same folk would be raising pure hell).

I've said it before -- There simply is never an inopportune time to denigrate a black woman (or girl). Never is.

Hope the spiritual, emotional and academic needs of those girls are being accommodated for by SOMEBODY.

[Halima]

i have only just read the link about the NAACP award and i have never felt more like puking in my life!

This is essentially what is meant by being of 'reprobate mind'. And any institution that is assisting the black community continue in this deviating from what is right and proper ...well there is only one response to that, it is of the utmost urgency that such an organisation be swept away!

[iman]

When I first heard about this story, I had a totally different take on it. I, like most people, was under the impression that a young boy and his girlfriend were engaged in underage sexual activity and her parent found out. Video tapes, liquor, passed out girls, other boys, a hotel room etc. were never mentioned in the accounts I got of this story from radio and tv interviews.

Fast forward to a few months ago when I learned the details from some other articles, and I was horrified to learn what truly happened! Perhaps he has served his debt to society by being imprisoned and hopefully he's learned enough to turn his life around. However, elevating this guy to hero status strikes me as a way of saying "how dare you give this guy white girl justice, for a pair of disposable black girls". I can guarantee you, if these where white girls, not only would he have served his full sentence, but many black people will feel like he got what he deserved for being so foolish as to violate young white girls. I think at it's core, the outrage over this case is that this promising young black boy got in trouble for messing with "two fast black girls" Might I add however, that if this occurred with all white kids, i think the result would've been the same. Young girls are always blamed exclusively for bad sexual conduct, while young boys are always excused.

I think most people are poorly informed of the details in this case. If you believe the spin I first heard about it, then it's not surprising to believe that people think he was imprisoned unjustly. Now whether they change their minds when they have all the information is another thing.

[Woman in Transition]

Gina, thanks for this post. And especially thanks for the email address for the TJMS. I've just now sent my GENARLOW IS NO HERO email and I have other matters that I wanted to email the show about. Thanks again.

[Miss Issues]

Gina, I sent an email to Cynthia Tucker of the ajc who wrote an article praising Genarlow Wilson. I will definitely send one to Tom "Captain Save an ignorant black man' Joyner.

[The Angry Independent]

Leanne,

I expected this kind of reaction from the readers of this site.

Your attempt to shout me down isn't going to work.

My point was simply this... Women who choose to deal with the "Thug", "Bad Boy", "S--t head", etc, cannot & should not expect to be unaffected by the consequences that come with it.

There is a powerful message in popular culture telling young women (especially young Black women) that a relationship with these kinds of young men is the ideal... that the "thug" is the in thing. Just about every young Black female Hip Hop/Rhythm and Bulls--t Entertainer is drilling that message into the brains of young women everyday... And with the lack of men in households and the lack of positive male role models in the lives of many young women, this has easily become accepted in the so-called Hip Hop Culture.

There is almost no countervailing message against this. If WAOD is an advocate for young Black women, then it should be pushing back against the message of the Beyonce's, Alicia Keys's, the Ashante's and all the rest who are putting poison into the brains of young women- their message being that dating thugs, rappers, & criminals is the ideal.
As long as this persists as the cultural norm, then you will continue to read these kinds of headlines.

Black women should not be afraid to raise the issue of personal responsibility as it relates to other Black women. There is this fear within so-called "Black America" when it comes to criticizing other Blacks. And it is almost taboo for Black women to criticize other Black women. It's a lot easier just to follow along with blinders on. That's why so-called "Black America" has had some of the same fundamental problems for 40 years. Because blinders have prevented folks from first seeing & identifying the issues...and then tackling the actual problems.

Yes... the mothers of the 17 and 15year old girls in the Wilson assault should have known where the Hell their daughters were all day/night. They should have been keeping better tabs on their activities leading up to that point as well. Dr. Cosby and Dr. Poussaint were on target with their message about parenting.

And I guess you didn't read my comment regarding the Indiana case. I wrote that the babies couldn't be responsible for their choices of any decisions made by others (that's obvious)... but the mothers should be held accountable for choices that they made. The fact that they are Black women should not be some sort of pass making it o.k. for them to endanger the welfare of their children. Only someone with a thick set of blinders on could believe that they should get a pass.

And no... I would not have felt any differently based on the gender/race of the victims/suspects. I don't know how you could have assumed that I was defending the thugs. I don't think you are familiar with my writings at my own site. You couldn't be.

As I have mentioned... Black folks love to make excuses.

Too many of these discussions are put in the context of an orchestrated war against Black women...at the hands of Black men (which lumps all Black men into this madness), when that obscures what is really going on.

This is a War on Black women at the hands of "thugs", "lowlifes", "bad boys", "criminals" and "sh-theads".

These are two separate statements. It's not one in the same. Although some have tried to make it...one in the same.

And it underscores why Black women need to leave these %^&$&*^ alone.
Those who choose not to bear some responsibility for their choices.

Now I have stated my point of view without shouting anyone down...or telling anyone to "shut up" or calling anyone an "ass".

Some folks allow their emotions to take over.

[Pecola]

Leanne-

I'm going to have to have to challenge you on part of your response to the angry independent: "They take the young girls, get them liquored up, treat them as if they are better than any other girl and "let them go at". Now if Genarlow Wilson, at 17, is old enough to make responsible decisions so are these "young" college girls. No one "gets you liqoured up." You open your mouth and you CHOOSE to drink. I recall being a first-year college student, watching my cousin and her friend fraternizing with some college guys, drinking and laughing. I remember raising an eyebrow at them, wondering what the hell they were doing. As a black feminist, I do not believe that women are ignorant little lambs incapable of making responsible decisions. If you go to a hotel room with X number of young men and get to drinking, you know, I know, and they damn well know what comes next, and it ain't a hand or two of spades (yeah, I went there).

[G.D.]

Pecola,

Yor stance is an odd one for a black feminist. You're saying that a teenage girl's decision to drink in a party full of young men means that she consents to having sex with those same young men even if she's barely cognizant of the sex?

The Angry Independent seems to be arguing that this can't be rape because these girls made choices regarding who they would associate with.

By your definitions of rape, almost no one who is raped is a victim of rape. Most women are raped by men they know. Many times that happens on college campuses when the woman's faculties have been impaired by drugs or alcohol.

Is it only rape when some nutjob leaps from an alley and violates a a woman?

[Symphony]

Angry Independent and I have disagreed on numerous things but I think he's saying Wilson isn't a saint, girls mess up too, and Black women should be held accountable for the wrongs they do.

That images, etc. of Black women can't be the blame of just men or even corporations.

I could be wrong but I'm sure he will correct me if I am.
_______________________________
My take: I'll stay out of this endless debate but we need to not only teach girls to excel in academics and be independent they need to be taught self-respect.

I believe just because someone allows you mistreat them that doesn't mean you should. But I'm realistic that if you don't respect yourself no one will. Heck, if no one else will respect you, at least respect yourself.

[Miss Issues]

g.d., you are so right. Most of my friends I know were raped or gang raped by their so-called male friends. Date rape happens very widely in high school and college parties.

[The Angry Independent]

The Angry Independent seems to be arguing that this can't be rape because these girls made choices regarding who they would associate with.

Where and when did I ever say that this was not rape?

That has never been my argument... and I have been discussing the Wilson case since the Summer of last year, when the issue was raised here.

In the Wilson case... I have stated that Wilson should have been punished for his crime.... perhaps he should have served a longer sentence (although not the original sentence from the Court).

Was this rape/sexual assault? Absolutely... because the victims (at least one) was not old enough to consent to sex. And alcohol was also involved. In fact Wilson's accomplices were hit with longer terms.

I did not like the way that the Civil Rights Establishment made him into some kind of hero for Black folks. It was disgusting...but typical of the Civil Right elite.

And now this... now he goes to Morehouse for free. (I knew there was a reason why I didn't want to go to a "Black" college). Never considered one...and I wouldn't be caught dead in one. The Black civil rights establishment has its priorities mixed up.

My issue with the case was that (as I stated) the parents of these young ladies should have done more in terms of their responsibility as parents. That includes being involved in their lives and paying attention to who they were with.

And the young women should not have gone to a Motel with a group of thugs. They should have been more mindful about the company that they kept.

The same goes for young Black women in general...as it relates to this "thug" phenomenon that pervades the Black Hip Hop culture.

The women in these horrible cases are almost always given a pass here and are not seen as having any responsibility for their actions and their choices... I was trying to point out that this is problematic.

[The Angry Independent]

Thank You Symphony....

You summed up what I apparently could not.

[LeAnne@Hairs My Story Team]

Angry Independent and Pecola:

Lets get one thing straight. Something similar happened to me and in college. In HS, I was the good girl. It wasn't until senior year that I stopped believing boys had cooties. i never snuck out of my house and never went to any of the parties. I was a member of about 6 clubs and organized philanthropic groups. I also, didn't miss church. AND... I declared myself a feminist since age 13 when I first read Ophelia Speaks.

I was also friends with a girl from a strict two-parent home who didn't know about their daughter and her relationship with a particular footballer play (now plays college). Through hanging with this girl, I got to know HIM. HE would follow me around school and sexual harrass me incessaintly.
HE would hold me down on the bus home and try to put his hands in places I did not want them, while i fought and screamed bloody murder. I had to deal with this for a year. It got so bad that I stopped going to her house because he would come over just to attack (attempt to) me. It wasn't until I treated to tell my family and everyone else that he finally gave up.

This same black boy had a white girlfriend who he fawned at with pride. This guy took advantage my friend to where rumors spread that she was gangraped by him and his buddies while intoxicated. It was also said that he had raped her and several other girls in the school.

Guess where he is now? Playing football for an elite university in a northeastern state. She wasn't a "hoe", but an "A"-student, choir member and cheerleader. He was "good boy" who was the star athlete, student Goverment chair and dressed up on Sunday's for church. But, his "behavior" was kept a secret. The last time someone spoke up against him, she was asked to leave and he got a scholarship.

You see, it's okay to raise your snotty, little noses in indignation when it's not you or your child. But any girl could be that girl. When men like Genarlow get away with sexual abusing a young black girl, but punished for touching a white one, he's going to put a price on pussy. He might have learned his lesson about messing with white women, (hell, if he didn't, Moorehouse will surely teach him), but he never learned his lesson about hurting black ones.

So, its only a slippery-slope before it's the random girl on the street. Before it is you, Pecola. Or your daughter The Angry Independent.

I hope your degrees and aligned status with whites keep you warm at night, while the "misguided black girls" like myself who idolize thugs get what we deserve.

Just know, your idignation is what births these young black "thugs." They are men just like you, with the same logic and rethoric that young black girls deserve to be raped.

Damm elitist.
http://www.hairsmystory.com" REL="nofollow">hairsmystory.com

[CW]

I don't believe anyone who's reasonable here will dispute the girls made some very bad choices...However, where are their scholaships and advocacy teams? This is a classic example of how Black women get thrown under the bus by the Black Community Mammy Brigade...

BWDB http://thecwexperience.wordpress.com

[LeAnne@Hairs My Story Team]

THank you CW.

Yes, I find that the women are often the ones who let their behavior go unnoticed. After all, those girls deserve it, right?http://www.hairsmystory.com" REL="nofollow">hairsmystory.com

[tasha212]

I agree somewhat with the angry independent. There is a message being sent to young girls that the "thug" is the guy to be with. There is also a message sent to young men that they must act like thugs and hustlers in order to be considered masculine. So this causes young women to ignore or mistreat boys who treat them with kindness or respect. Also, women must take responsibility as mothers and grown women for who they keep company with. I said this during the Goggins story (the little girl who took bullets for her mother). As a mother your first priority is to protect your children. That means don't surround yourself with drugs, alcohol, and other deviant behaviors and don't get involved with people who do. As women, we don't always give ourselves enough credit. We can take responsibility for our own safety. We can choose not to put ourselves in certain situations.

[The Angry Independent]

I won't bother responding to your offensive commentary. I was going to make an attempt...but realized that it would be pointless.

I will just try to remember your screen name so that I can (hopefully) avoid any further discussion.

[The Angry Independent]

Thank you Tasha...

:)

[Miss Issues]

Leanne, de jav vu, this exact same scenerio happen to my friend in high school. A lot times the girl feels this was all her fault and the boys have no responsibility. They believe are just being boys and doing what they are expected to do. Most of the time the guy is a guy the girl really likes. He knows this and promises to let his boy get at her. (Words I heard spoken exactly from a black guy's mouth) Why black girls are always given so much extra burden when it comes to our survival and well-being in the black communities. We are expected to grow-up the moment we get our periods, while our men can be boys basically all their lives.

[The Angry Independent]

Most of the time the guy is a guy the girl really likes.

And that's part of the problem!

Stop fawning over s--theads.

[SisterhoodNow]

Gina, I was so upset about the 70% of black teens have HIV stat that I had to look more deeply into because it broke my heart.

Its a tricky statistic. 70% of all black teens that ARE tested turn up positive. This indicates that most who know they have it are getting tested for confirmation-not 70% of ALL black teens. So 7 out of 10 teens who GET the test turn up positive.

Its interesting, its predominantly from both boys and girls who are sleeping with the older generation. Girls dating older men and boys dating older women.

The only thing that keeps me from becoming an angry black woman is that anger keeps us from being strategic like Shecodes...and that is what our community needs from us now.

[Miss Issues]

The boys aren'tnecessarily s---heads when you first meet them. Most women know it takes years of kissing frogs to recognize a prince. We've all been involve with a guy who turn out to be a a**hole. The boy or man could be the guy you grew up with, met at work, or met at church. Yes, we should teach our daughters to be safe. Maybe we should teach boys and men to treat women with respect and their goal in life is not to get all the coochie they can before they die.

[Tweet]

in an attempt to rally around these young ladies, do you think more harm will be committed? will their names be published, pictures shown, so on and so forth as people support them for what they endured? do you think that will cause further harm to them...ummmmm, it's a possibility.

and while i appreciate the passion displayed in the comments, some of them could have toned down the personal attacks, name calling, etc. this is the freakin' internet, not the playground....sheessssshhhhh

[Symphony]

I think its two separate things at this point (that both contribute to sad situatons).

This post is about acknowledging the victimization of these girls.

Angry Independent is talking about women and girls being held accountable for their poor choices (which doesn't mean poor choice= deserved to be raped).

Its frustrating that anyone would think from reading his comments in this post that he was implying such a thing.

This is one of those things where everyone is arguing over differences even though everyone agrees about what is important. Its motion but not forward progress when people get bogged down.

Fighting the negative images and violence against women and girls has to be approached by all fronts. One of which is to teach girls and women to make smart choices, and doing so might not eradicate all violence and problems in their lives but it is sure to diminish it.

[Halima]

How did this discussion about the dysfunctional BC reward system and the utter disregard shown the BW in this case suddenly get turned into a 'BW should have more self esteem' issue all of a sudden!

[Symphony]

Because one person made a comment and everyone allowed themselves to follow suit.

You guys can easily talk about the topic of the post.

AI would be a great fisherman if he so chose to be.

I'm still laughing over someone earlier this morning who tried to bait me into a redundant arguement. I didnt reply and now he's sulking. Such tactics are easy to spot. Anywho, off topic...

So go back to discussing how no one has given the girls the compassion given to GW.

My wish regarding these girls is that, minus the attention, they received the support and resources they needed.

[Tweet]

My wish regarding these girls is that, minus the attention, they received the support and resources they needed.

how do we know they are not? because it's not in the paper?

[roslynholcomb]

Gina I just sent an email to Mr. Joyner. This pisses me off to the highest level of pissedoffticity. This young man is a predatory rapist who has abuse two young black girls and the idea that Joyner would take money, mainly supplied by black women to support this scumbag makes my blood boil.

[Symphony]

how do we know they are not? because it's not in the paper?

I'm not sure what you mean so I'll clarify my original statement.

My hope is that they received support even though we don't know about it (which is the way I feel it should be).

[Miss Pinky]

"How did this discussion about the dysfunctional BC reward system and the utter disregard shown the BW in this case suddenly get turned into a 'BW should have more self esteem' issue all of a sudden!"

___________________________________

Thank you Halima. Eventually, I knew the discussion would turn into a bw/girl "lacking" issue.

pinky

[roslynholcomb]

This reminds me so much of the reason Maya Angelou is, and always will be, dead to me. I can't get the image of her visiting Mike Tyson, defiler of black women, in jail. There was no outreach to Desiree Washington, his victim, just support for a vile rapist who has demonstrated again and again that he hates black women and sees us as nothing more than punching bags and sperm receptacles. Why do we do this to ourselves. The women at Spelman and any other college/university on this planet should be turning out in protest.

[Tweet]

My hope is that they received support even though we don't know about it (which is the way I feel it should be).

thanks for the clarification. i misinterpreted your comment to imply that they had not been receiving support...to which i was saying that may be an assumption (just like i think it is an assumption to say that the parents didn't care as to why they were out on news years eve)

[Symphony]

I can't get the image of her visiting Mike Tyson, defiler of black women, in jail.

I didn't know that Roslyn. What was her reasoning?

[roslynholcomb]

It was all over the news. I've never heard her comment on it, but it's my understanding that back when he was still married to Robin Givens Oprah asked her to talk to him. Apparently Ms. Angelou made overtures towards him at that time, but he wasn't interested. However, once he was in jail he asked her to come. Keep in mind, Tyson had excellent attorneys and media consultants at his disposal, I find it hard to believe that Angelou didn't know the impact her visit would have. She's a sophisticated, worldly woman who allowed herself to be manipulated. I have had no use for her since.

[g-e-m2001]

@ everybody
The main point of the story was to remind people that the Genarlow Wilson story being repeated ad museum left out some important details that I believe make him unworthy of the “heroe” worship he is receiving. The NAACP award in particular grates.

Of course this comment thread was going to turn into the “what the Black women/ girls did wrong'
thread. Because in order to spare a scintilla of compassion, the Black woman/girl must be a pure as the driven snow. WhenEVER you try to highlight a harm that has been done to a Black woman or child we must first establish that they are as pure as the driven snow. That same test is not applied to young Black men, in fact it is the opposite. For those of you blinded by me asking what about the girls, what about the issue of turning criminals and idiots into heroes as a result of being caught up in the system.

Genarlow Wilson is a gang rapist and we are handing out rewards and awards. The Jena 6 basically are heroes for jumping another kid 6 to 1. Not to mention the 19,000 crack dealers that are about to be released back into the community come this march as heroes of the war on drugs as a result of recent court decisions regarding mandatory minimums. There is little to no discussion about the effects of lionizing these people. I just wish the same stringent test we apply to Black women and girls were applied to these men and boys before we crown the next batch of idiots to walk into the open arms of “the system”

@angry independent

it is dishonest to leave the impression that this blog give Black women a pass. Not when we have handed out any number of wagging fingers of shame to Black women. Not when I have personally railed against these mothers who throw their children to the lions by inviting sociopaths into their lives.
You keep pointing to Black women hooking up with thugs, but a central piece to the Genarlow Wilson Redemption Story is that he wasn't a thug that he was the erstwhile honors student and promising athlete with a 3.985397439523904 GPA. Last but not least if everybody made mistakes in that hotel room then everybody ought to be getting awards and money.

But do feel free to continue to make sure we chronicle the short comings of Black women and girls while we had out cash prizes and gifts to everybody else. I mean THAT's what is really important

It is dangerous so send a message that Genarlow Wilson is a heroic figure. Not just for the girls who are unworthy of your compassion, but for everybody.

[roslynholcomb]

Oh my effing God, Gina's going to split a blood vessel about this. I'm really starting to believe that all degradation of black women DOES go back to Bob Johnson. I just read an interview Angelou did with bell hooks and she said that Bob Johnson asked her to visit Tyson in jail. Is there no depth of depravity this man isn't willing to sink to?

[TJ]

I hope that in the future a more proactive course of action is promoted on this blog. Letter writing back in August would have done much more good than letter writing now that the boy has been given a scholarship. We all have the opportunity to become involved in the NAACP to change the decisions that I see repeatedly complained of in this and other places. Just thoughts.

[roslynholcomb]

Why on earth would anyone want to join a dinosaur of an organization like the NAABM? It's time and past time for black women to form and finance organizations that are for OUR BENEFIT. Something the NAABM has made it clear that it has no interest in.

BTW, If you're a regular reader of this blog, you'll know that Gina's been posting about this issue for quite some time now.

[g-e-m2001]

TJ,
Well TJ back in August i was blowing up the NAACP national office telephones trying tot get them to take notice of a small matter down in West Palm beach called DUNBAR VILLAGE. So my crystal ball of foolish decision by radio talk show hosts didn't pick up the Joyner Scholarship poolooza.

So since there wasn't any letter writing in August, i should just shut up about it right?

This blog is many things, but one of them is for me to say something i don't see being said anywhere else. You always have the option to do more proactive things with your time.

I think the discussion is a good one and anytime you come up with a proactive solutions to anything, feel free to send an email and we might post about it.

I have a right to state my opinion whether you feel there is any value in that opinion is completely up to you, but I'll keep stating it, but thanks for your editorial suggestion. i will add it to the pile.

Now back to the topic... Should the black community be turning gang rapists into folk heroes... i know y'all don't want to talk about that, but that is what the post is about.

I think speaking out CAN be proactive especially when people are learning about important facts left out of MSM stories

[LeAnne@Hairs My Story Team]

The angry independent:

You're assuming that I am "shouting". No, not really. But, you cannot , nor anyone else here, can speak on behalf of the girl. You never mentioned that you knew her, so how do you kbow that she liked thugs? Genarolow doesn't look at all like the kind of guy who would have a record, so how was she supposed to know?

I think that is what everyone is forgetting. Rape doesn't happen to one type of female. I happens to anyone!!! Attackers don't just look like thugs. In fact, the thugs are the ones women tend to avoid, so they get no such luck.Most women think that the thugs are the ones who will just jump you in the yard on your way home from school
But, a guy who gets you drunk and takes advantaged are usually the boys you know and trust.

I'm tired of black folks turning rape unto the victims. It is not their fault and until you are raped you could never understand.
http://www.hairsmystory.com" REL="nofollow">hairsmystory.com

[LeAnne@Hairs My Story Team]

Miss Issues:

I agree with everything you're saying. People don't understand, rape is about power. It's not a joke, which is why some of us are so up in arms.

You can be sitting there minding your business and a guy could feel seriously entitled to you and attacks. Is it still your fault?

For all of those saying black girls should stay away from thugs, let's play Devil's Advocate:

Miss Issues and I both reminded you that the men who rape or abuse women are not your average "thug". They are the "good black boys" that the neighborhood loves. Should black girls just avoid all black men just to be safe?

You never know when someone will take something too far.
http://www.hairsmystory.com" REL="nofollow">hairsmystory.com

[Miss Issues]

Leanne, that's why I get so upset when people talk about personal responsibility and say 'she should've know better'. What about these men and their personal responsibility.

It's like the white female hiker who was murdered here in Georgia. So, she was hiking by herself. As a woman she has a right to go anywhere she please without fear of bodily harm. Not one time did the white media put blame on her. She was portrayed as an innocent victim even though she stopped an talked to the man. She had no idea he was a killer, just like a lot women don't know if a guy's a rapist.

Yet, we as African American love to put some blame on the victim.
Like I tell my nephews, "I don't care if a woman is walking butt-naked down the street. You still have no right to rape her.

[iman]

I think the point is that even if these girls received all of the financial and emotional support they needed to repair their lives, the fact that what he did was widely not even viewed by most people as a crime negates their worth. There’s nothing wrong with talking about that, in and of itself, in a world where sexual assault is often ignored or misrepresented. There is a revisionist version of this story circulating and I think that’s the main problem. As I stated earlier, I was one of the many people who thought this was a case of two high school sweethearts being sexually curious at too young of an age. That’s the media spin on this. You add that to an already built-in distrust of the criminal justice system and you can see why people began to sympathize w/ this kid. Hearing the full story changes my mind completely. I think having different perspectives of mainstream news is proactive, because it can enable people to make up their own minds and can propel them to address what they deem to be unjust however they see fit.

Out of the all of the support, I’m most disappointed with the President of Morehouse. Putting this young man’s obstacle in the same vein as the struggles most black men have historically had to handle to attain a college education is incomprehensible.

[Miss Pinky]

Has Genarlow Wilson ever publicly admitted that he did in fact participate in the gang rape of one of those girls ?

I must have missed the part of the "redemption tour" where he took full responsibility for his disgusting behavior.

Has there ever been a public apology to the young women ? An explanation of why it was necessary to videotape the degredation ?

Did he express any concern about the girl getting tested for HIV after she endured being used by a group of so-called men ?

Has he ever publicly asked the people who threatened the girls to cease ?

Yes, indeed..what about the girls.

pinky

[Gorgeous Black Women]

This is a totally different story from what I've read over and over about the case. If true, I'm very disappointed. My understanding was that a 15 year old girl performed oral sex on several boys. I graduated from a very holier than thou suburban high school almost 7 years ago and I know this happened twice. I wasn't even aware that there was more than one girl in the case or that she was inebriated.

Pardon my rambling. I'm just trying to process all of this. I'm really shocked and disgusted right now.