Anything you lose from being honest, you never really had to begin with, my love.

Long gone are the days we turn our back on women in the form of silence. As men, it is high time we begin to face ourselves in the mirror and reflect on how we are all implicated in rape culture. - Cirilo

I ran across a quotealthough I should say shotthe other day that was posted on one of my favorite Instagram pages titled Black With No Chaser. (Disclaimer: Being black is not a prerequisite to follow the page; however, do understand while you indulge in this level of blackness, be aware of the bite you may experience in the back of your throat while knocking back a shot or two.) The quote went something like Anything you lose from being honest, you never really had to begin with, my love. In short, honesty is the best policy.

So, lets be honest for a second.

There is nothing more frustrating than having to witness white privilege pillage the black communitys culture, efforts, initiatives, etcetera and etcetera. Im alluding to many things but one in particular is punk activist Rose McGowan and leader of the #RoseArmy , according to the USA Today article , being awarded for turning #MeToo into her own reality television show with E! titled Citizen Rose. Wheetttt??? On its face, you may be thinking what is the harm in this? shes out here killing the game and giving a voice to women. Thats incredible! Right? Trust me when I say, this is [insert a good cuss word] wrong.

"What Ive done is give a voice to women, to show them that its okay to be angry." - Quote by Rose McGowan in her latest feature in Elle magazine.

But before I get into why this rendition is, as my brother Charles Davis has weighed in on it, another white feminists exploitation of black womens labor, I would like to take a second to recognize the amount of courage it took to tell her story. She is, yet, one of many women fractured emotionally, mentally, and/or physically by the notion of toxic masculinity and a mans entitlement over a womans body.

If we are being honest, however, Times Silence Breaker Tarana Burke , the originator and cultivator of #MeToo movement, should be out in front. Nearly 12 years ago, she paved the way for Rose McGowan and so many others, especially women of color in low wealth communities, who felt helpless and voiceless. Tarana endeavored to empower women and that she did. Years later countless women have now come forward to tell their stories, which has had a ripple effect, shocking the conscience of this country. These impactful stories by women have made all of us, but most importantly men, take a deep look at who we are inside and what needs to be done combat #rapeculture.

Notwithstanding my assertion that Tarana is being wronged on so many levels, others feel the same way. People have taken to social media asking Why Rose and not Tarana? The question is rhetorical, in my opinion. We know why the face of the #MeToo Movement is not in front and its not because of her diction or lack of style or her poise or her consciousness or her vision to empower women. Nope. None of the things mentioned were the deciding factor. America could not help itself, once again. It just did what America does and has always done to exploit the labor of black women: save the white woman at all costs.