">Snow on Tha Bluff,” which addressed police brutality but also seemed to chafe against the tone of Noname’s activism and his own feelings of inadequacy. (“She mad at the celebrities, low-key I be thinkin’ she talkin’ ‘bout me / Now I ain’t no dummy to think I’m above criticism / So when I see something that’s valid, I listen / But shit, it’s something about the queen tone that’s botherin’ me.”)

Cole’s words reminded me of when I recently defended a friend on Twitter after she opened up about the colorism and sexism she’s faced from Black men. We immediately faced scrutiny from people saying things like, “Can we focus on the police killing us?” “Why are you trying to divide Black people?” and “It’s not the time to talk about that.”

But if you want true equality for Black people, there will never be a “right time” to ask for what we deserve as Black women. The struggle is ongoing, and still, I could not believe the same people marching for equality and vowing to protect Black women were the same ones attacking us. Maybe the constant scrutiny from members of the community was part of the reason Noname temporarily deactivated her Twitter.

As I listen to “Song 33,” tears begin to run down my face. Society brands Black women as uniquely strong, conveniently forgetting that even the strongest among us also need help. Even as she was becoming a face of the movement, Toyin was especially vulnerable: Before her murder, she was escaping abuse by her family and sleeping in a church. The man who offered her a place to shower and sleep allegedly sexually assaulted her and has been charged with her murder.

In her 2016 TED Talk, Kimberle Crenshaw instructed the audience to stand and remain standing if they knew the names she said. When she listed the names of Black men killed by the police, many audience members remained standing. But only four audience members remained when she began to recite the names of Black women killed by the police: Atatiana Jefferson, Michelle Cusseaux, Brayla Stone, Akhenaton Jones.

Do you know these names? Do you know their stories? You are not seeing injustice clearly if you are looking through a lens that places more value on the lives of Black men over women. Violence and racism toward Black men becomes the cover story, with Black women as the footnote. Even if the media coverage stops and the criminal justice system stalls out—as is so often the case—the movement must not follow suit, we must demand more and better as we fight for the liberation of every Black life.

If you think Black women voicing their pain only sows more division, you are part of the problem. We cannot simultaneously fight racism while policing uncomfortable conversations that aim to hold members of our own community accountable.

I am thankful for the outlet Noname has created. It has inspired me to stand firmly and be unapologetic in speaking my truth. Despite any negative backlash I receive, I know there is always power in your testimony.

Moving forward, we must center the idea that freedom for everyone is dependent on freedom for Black women—which must include Black men recognizing the harm caused by misogyny and erasure. Empowering Black women means a brighter future for everyone, and if we want to take care of the community, we must take care of and center the ones who’ve birthed it.