Royaltee Magazine-

#RoyalWomenInspire The Story of Betty Jean Owens

#royalwomensinspire 

DISCLAIMER: To respect the privacy of Owens and her family, there is not a picture of her in this article.

In a society in which black women feel the #metoomovement has skipped over us and #MuteRKelly, certain stories from time to remind us that our bodies do matter. That we matter. And the power of black women.

Betty Jean Owens. Have you heard of her? Before this week, neither have I until one of my fellow alumni, Amonte Martin, posted a viral thread about her on Twitter.

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Owens was a young woman who attended Florida A&M University in the late 50s. In 1959, she was in the car with two men and another woman, all from FAMU, when four white men, approached their car at Jake Gaither Park. They forced the two black men out of the cars with switchblades and shotguns and drove away with the two women.

The other woman, Edna Richardson managed to escape, leaving Owens alone with the four men. They raped Owens seven times that night The three other students reported the crime to police and the men were tracked down and arrested. Owens was found in the backseat bound and gagged her. Even as the men were handcuffed, they were reportedly laughing thinking they would never get in trouble for raping a colored woman.

Twitter @AmonteMartin

But on May 6, 1959,  the men were officially charged, making it the first time white defendants were charged with raping a black woman in Florida.  The defense tried to portray Owens the same way those man violated her, savagely. She was depicted as promiscuous and someone who wanted sex, but their attempt was unsuccessful. The men-William Collinsworth, Ollie Stoutamire, Patrick Scarborough, and David Beagles -were sentenced to life in prison, making it the first time white men were convicted of the rape of a black woman in Florida.  Five years later, Beagles was paroled and out of revenge, he murdered a black woman, who he thought was Owens and buried her in a shallow grave. Turns out the innocent woman he murdered was Betty Jean Robinson Houston.

Martin shared on his Twitter that he heard this story for the first time in his African-American History class at FAMU freshmen year. When he asked his grandmother about it, who is a native of Tallahassee, he says she broke down in tears and the response she gave him was nothing less than mind blowing.

 Feb 1
” She said, “I am Betty Jean Owens.” 🙊 ✊🏾
Yes, Martin’s grandmother is Betty Jeans Owens. It’s not explained whether she changed her or not, but Martin says she held on to her story because of “fear of retaliation”. Owens represents of thousands of black women; unsung heroes such as Recy Taylor who was abducted and brutally raped in 1944 by six white men.
NMAAHC
Although Owens attackers were prosecuted, black women still exist within a culture that has forced us to stay in shame and fear about rape.  According to the United States Bureau of Justice Statistics , at least 40% of black women are rape victims and less than half report the crime. Additionally, black females 12 years-old and older experienced higher rates of sexual than white, Asian and Latina females. Reasons for staying silent include shame ( the self-blame mindset that it’s your fault, you led him on) , fear ( what will he do to me if I told) and doubt ( you told but they still don’t believe you).
Twitter @AmonteMartin
To change the stigma of rape starts within the mind. #YOUTOO do matter!
The story of Owens, although tragic and painful, embodies the strength and courage black women have mastered. Her story is arguably the catalyst for the civil rights and women’s rights movements that will tkae fire in the 60s.  Hundreds have reacted to Owens’ story on social media.

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

To keep her legacy alive, her grandson started a campaign for people to write letters to Betty .
“Too often we hear about these stories and the (victim) has passed away,” her grandson Amonte Martin told the FAMUAN last November.  “It’s for people to be able to reach out and contact her,” he said.
 You can send your personal letters to Ms. Owens at  letter2betty@gmail.com

 

BY:

alexia1.mckay@gmail.com

Alexia is the publisher and editor-in-chief of RoyalTee Magazine and the founder of RoyalTee Enterprises.

Around The Web