In a new op-ed, Megan Thee Stallion—who recently included an inspiring message about the importance of protecting Black women in her SNL performance—further elaborates on the violence often waged against Black women and how the burdens many place on them are made even heavier during an election year.
"I was recently the victim of an act of violence by a man," Megan wrote in a New York Timesop-ed published Monday when addressing the shooting for which Tory Lanez was recently charged. "After a party, I was shot twice as I walked away from him. We were not in a relationship. Truthfully, I was shocked that I ended up in that place."
Megan added that she’s had "a lot of self-reflection" on the shooting and how it shows a pattern of men's acts of violence against women, which she notes here isn't always connected to being in a relationship.
"Instead, it happens because too many men treat all women as objects, which helps them to justify inflicting abuse against us when we choose to exercise our own free will," she said. For Black women, Megan said, this is an issue made "even more intense" as they are tasked with fighting against stereotypes while being "seen as angry or threatening" when trying to take a stand for themselves. "There's not much room for passionate advocacy if you are a Black woman," she said.
Later on in the Times piece, Megan reflected on her aforementioned SNL performance, which also saw her directly criticizing the widely panned Kentucky Attorney General (and Republican) Daniel Cameron over the handling of the Breonna Taylor case. Megan explained that she expected "some backlash" for the message, as she considers it an example of following the late civil rights icon John Lewis' "good trouble" advice.
"But you know what? I'm not afraid of criticism," Megan said. "We live in a country where we have the freedom to criticize elected officials. And it's ridiculous that some people think the simple phrase 'Protect Black women' is controversial. We deserve to be protected as human beings. And we are entitled to our anger about a laundry list of mistreatment and neglect that we suffer."
Read the full piece—which also sees Megan breaking down racial bias in health care services, violence against trans or gender-nonconforming people, the importance of a positive body image, and much more—right here.
Earlier this month, Megan announced that she is giving two $10,000 scholarships to women of color who are seeking a degree in any field in any part of the world:
And below, revisit her top-tier SNL performances:
On Monday, Manseen Logan spoke with creative director JaQuel Knight—whose masterful choreography and unique artistic touch was a key aspect in Megan's SNL performances—for an extensive Complex piece. Peep that here if you haven't already.
