12 Sep Medium | The Rape of Recy Taylor By Indira M. Henard, MSW

Rape in the African American community has historically and culturally been a taboo not only in the African American community, but in the United States of America. From as early on as slavery we have seen the ways in which the rape of African American women have not only contributed to the political economy of this country, but has been used to wield and unearth a level of power that is indescribable.

Indescribable is the word that comes over me when viewing the documentary “The Rape of Recy Taylor” This documentary takes you on a journey of a lifetime.“ The Rape of Recy Taylor” is more than a documentary about a woman who was raped. This documentary uses the rape of Recy Taylor as a lens to look at how sexual violence and racial injustice are irrevocably linked, and threaded into the moral fabric of this country.

“The Rape of Recy Taylor” breaks the silence and shares deeply and unapologetically the unheard echoes of not only being raped, but being a SURVIVOR of rape. “The Rape of Recy Taylor” brings to light the historical stain of the white sheet of a nation. Throughout this documentary we see Recy and her family spend a lifetime seeking justice no matter how hard she is to find.

The justice that Recy Taylor seeks shows the indomitable spirit of woman who survived the unimaginable, and used her voice to break her silence and lift the veil on the double edge sword of what it means to be black and a woman in this country. “The Rape of Recy Taylor” challenges the consciousness of a nation, and calls into question the moral compass of American democracy.

The Rape of Recy Taylor is the civil rights issue of our time, and it reminds us that the time is always right to do what is right.