Who would’ve thought the professional dissolution between Newark, New Jersey creatives Christina ‘Chris Miss’ Bright and Germany ‘SNAP’ Lancaster would spiral into an ugly online war fueled by colorism and fatphobia?
What initially began as smooth sailing, over the past year former, Black Girl Beach Day™ partners have taken a turn for rocky waters following their business split.
Birthed in the summer of 2017, Black Girl Beach Day was created to promote solidarity, inclusivity, & sisterhood amongst all black identifying persons in all shapes and shades, according to the event’s official website. However, following a recent article written by Aiesha Arab on Bossip and a nearly 30 minute Instagram TV video uploaded by Bright to her almost 35,000 follower base, Lancaster has found herself in the eye of a three-day online harassment storm filled with fatphobic remarks and private death threats.
The purpose of this post isn’t to determine which party is in the right. Nor is it to determine which is in the wrong. Instead, it serves as a reminder to turn that mirror on ourselves to examine how our social rallying cry, ‘protect Black women,’ was never intended to be conditional.
There was no fine print for us to give the once over. Protect Black women! The end. Not protect Black women only when they agree with you. Nor is it protect specific types of Black women. Again, the phrase is simply ‘protect Black women.’ All Black women. Across the diaspora, social-economic statuses, educational levels, religious backgrounds, sizes, tones, marital status, sexual preference, and more. Germany ‘Snap’ Lancaster is no exception and, therefore, should be protected.
If you’ve found yourself gravely sickened by rapper Talib Kweli’s bullying of Maya Moody or caught yourself cheering when Twitter announced they would be banning his account due to him weaponizing his fan base against Moody, keep that same energy here.
No matter what side of the argument you find yourself on, as a patron you are well within your right to seek accountability from whomever you feel wronged by but, I ask as the world continues to beat up on Black women don’t find yourself on the line waiting for a swing at-bat.
If you are interested in supporting Black Girl Beach Day 2020, click HERE to learn more about Black Girl Beach Day™ Digital, on Saturday, August 22nd, and Black Girl Beach Day physical meet up on Saturday, August 29.
If you are interested in learning more about The Momathon Run Club organized by Chris Miss, click HERE to be redirected to their official Instagram page.
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