Viacom, owner of BET, VHI and MTV, the birthplace of Mona Scott's negative women image, and the reinvention of the word petty. Petty was once looked down on as childish and inappropriate, but now people aspire to be the queen of pettiness to the point they wear t-shirts indicating this and change their names on social sites to brag on their level of petty.

I took a day and watched some old movies on BET, a station I had turned away from with the return of the TV show 'The Game' and was quickly reminded why I stopped supporting the channel. There was a commercial for a show called 'Black Card Revoked,' the commercial asked – If you see a fight, do you A. Call the Cops, B. Run. C. Break it Up or D. Scream Worldstar. The crowd chose 'Scream Worldstar' and showed the name of the show with people laughing in the background.

Now I understand that BET is trying to revamp their channel with the Black Lives Matter movement and trying to make the station a place where black people can come back and get correct information and history. I know they have invited Angela Rye, the queen of saying it as it is, and a few other shows that are supposed to have positive black conversations, but how will it be labeled?

This disrespect doesn't stop with only being black. Hispanics, Indigenous People, Muslims, and being a woman has been thrown under the bus as well. Racism and sexism are peaking because we are standing up and facing it head-on, which makes those who are fluent in it react as if they are the victims.

I don't know when being a minority became a joke or something to make fun of. Our struggles, as real as they are, are being mocked and ignored. The struggle of one black person and another minority group is the struggle of us all; as Martin Luther King, Jr said: "No one is free until we all are free." Look how America is ignoring the pain of all our ancestors endured as slaves and is now repeating itself in Libya. How long do you think it will last before they try bringing that back over here? Or is it already here with the many quiet disappearances of black boys and girls in the DC area.

The talk shows who talk about what is going on in the black community are considered comedy, like Comedy Central's famous 'The Daily Show with Trevor Noah,' and the movie Get Out. While I commend Trevor for using his platform to speak on black oppression, it's still on Comedy Central network where they get a kick out of making fun of black people. There is also a show called 'Broad City,' where they make fun of people who live along the Mexico Border. I personally have never watched it, but the description alone sends bad vibes down my spine.

We make small steps of progress with the recent elections of a Black Mayor in Atlanta and the black women vote of Doug Jones over Rob Moore. Yet, we are disrespected and given the "Angry Black Woman" or "Gang banging Black Man' as if it is our narrative. If anything, these victories should show us what we are capable of when we use our voice. They only want us quiet, because they know our power. It's time for us to know it as well! We need to stop letting Viacom decide what is entertainment for us, what makes up who we are and we need to stop funding Mona Scott and her need to display Black and Hispanic women as dramatic and catty.

We have to stop supporting negative images of us as a people because places that don't know Black or Hispanic people, use those shows as a reference and the racism is fed and fueled. I remember a time when February was when I could sit back with my children and watch movies on BET about the real history of our people. February was the only month that we knew we could find true culture. This month we have the release of Black Panther in the theaters but has anyone noticed the silence of Black History Month. My daughter asked me the other day, where is Roots? We always watch Roots in February. It's as if they are slowly hiding our history in lies of immigration, numbered hangings, and a white Cleopatra. Our history is slowly dying along with the strength that makes us who we are. We need to stand up so that our children and their children will always know the truth.

We will only have change if we demand it, and change starts with us. Black people (especially women) loving themselves will always offend people who don't see a reason for them to be loved. So be bold, step out your comfort zone and use the superpower that comes with being black, being a minority and being you.