To the editor:

Imus lost his dignity, not the African American women at Rutgers University.

Unfortunately, they allowed one unrighteous white man to impact their self-esteem and dignity.

Imus was dead wrong but so is a society that has historically treated black women as “hos.”

During our enslavement, black women could be raped at will with impunity.

Even today, the law treats black women with less “respect” than their white sisters.

Imus vocalized what is institutionalized and internalized in nearly every American, black, brown, and white.

Yes, even African Americans accept the inferior status imposed upon them

by slavery and laws supported by governments and judicial bodies, which included the U.S. Supreme Court.

Consequently, we are not quickly outraged by the “bitchaficatition” of black women in raps, talk shows, etc.

We are appallingly silent when, for example, a 16-year-old receives a life sentence for raping a white woman and a black man receives probation for raping a 11-year-old black girl.

I was the attorney for the 16-year-old and the foster mother of the 11-year-old.

The over zealous prosecution of the Rutgers students was unfortunate.

Public outcry was truly justified. However, countless black men have been incarcerated and executed for allegedly raping black women and there was no public outrage or apology from even prosecutors.

A client of my law office was on death row for raping and killing a white woman until sixty

minutes revealed his fate and the fake evidence against him.

He was eventually freed but the prosecutor and the law enforcement officials responsible for the “faked” evidence were free to repeat that crime against other innocent black men.

Finally, I am disappointed that scholars and activists with knowledge and understanding of African American History were not selected to comment on the Imus matter.

They would provide a different perspective.

Racism in America is under the ungodly belief that black people are inferior and black women are morally corrupt (hos).

I am a Harvard educated 62 -year- old attorney who falls in the category of to many Americans, black and white, I, too, am perceived as a “ho.” Fortunately, I was raised in the segregated south to believe that, “It’s not what you call me but what I answer to.”

To compare Al Sharpton’s

support of the racist attack of the Rutgers students with Imus conduct was historically incomprehensive.

Yet, few African American commented on the Imus matter provided the historical distinction. Indeed,

the comparison was ludicrous.

Even more ludicrous, however, is our “appalling silence”

about

school and judicial systems that accepts the outlandish belief of black inferiority, which allows our children to be called hos.

By the way, I love nappy hair and I am happy to be called nappy.

Faya Toure