"Look,’ she said to them, ‘this Hebrew . . . came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed. When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house’” Genesis 39: 14–15)THE CURSE OF POTIPHAR'S WIFE
by eric d. graham
In the age of Donald Trump, where we have seen several powerful men fall at the hands of the #MeToo movement . We, however, can't forget about those, who, historically, have been falsely accused in the past. Especially, with the recent arrest of Empire actor Jussie Smollett, who has been indicted by a grand jury in Chicago on 16 felony counts after allegedly lying to police , about being attacked by two men, who poured bleach over him, while placing a noose around his neck . And, just last week, HBO documentary, Leaving Neverland, broadcasted alleged victims Wade Robson and James Safechuck's story about Michael Jackson allegedly molesting them, all over the airwaves to be debated and discussed in the court of public opinion.
With all of these cases of sexual assault during this TimesUp & MeToo movement along with the recent arrest of Bill Cosby and singer R.Kelly, we must be aware of The Curse of Potiphar’s Wife, which occurs in the Book of Genesis Chapter 39:1-23, that tells the story of Joseph, who was falsely accused of rape and was thrown in prison.
This biblical narrative, oddly, can be seen in several historical cases, which has shaped the conscious of America: from the Scottsboro Boys, who were nine Black teenagers falsely accused of raping two white women aboard a train near Scottsboro, Alabama, in 1931. Or, the Central Park Five, which involved five Black and Latino teenagers from Harlem in 1989, who were falsely accused of assaulting and raping a white woman in Central Park, which (now) President Donald Trump spent $85,000 placing full-page ads in the four daily papers in New York City, calling for the return of the death penalty.Yes. The Curse of Potiphar's Wife has been permeating throughout our community for several years. Seriously, how can we ever forget the lynching of 14-year old Emmett Till, who was brutally murdered in Mississippi in 1955 for allegedly flirting with a white woman or Susan Smith, who, in late October of 1994, alleged that a Black man- carjacked her vehicle and kidnapped her sons, when in fact she had murdered them herself.
Oh yes, this curse crosses both racial and economic barriers. No one is immune to it. But, with all of these past cases of false allegations, one, would think; things are getting better.
Sadly, they are not. For instance, R & B singer Chris Brown was just released without charges after he was questioned by the Paris police over a rape accusation. And, when, you thought, things couldn't get any worse, on Thursday, a McLennan County jury- found former Baylor University football player, Shawn Oakman, not guilty of raping another student in 2016.
The case involving Oakman was linked to a sex scandal that rocked the University of Baylor and led to the departure of several top leaders.
Oakman's case is different yet similar to Brian Banks, who was 16 years old in 2002, with a promising football career ahead of him at USC, was falsely accused of raping, 15-year old, Wanetta Gibson, who later admitted she lied.
With the charges of rape, Banks was tried as an adult and faced 41 years to life. While serving 5 years in prison, upon release, he had to register as a sex offender and couldn't live within 2,000 yards of a school or park.
And, even though, Banks story had a happy ending, similar to the biblical character Joseph, with him working for the NFL in the football operations department at the beginning of the 2014 season, others, however, continue to end up with innocent men murdered or locked behind bars.
So, beware of The Curse of Potiphar’s Wife. (bobbeethehater.blogspot.com)
