Today I watched a Buzzfeed video and it hit an already raw nerve. The video brought reality to the struggles Black women face attempting to exist in a world not purposefully conducive to her flourishing. From the womb, she is stereotyped, classified and marginalized. Why? Because of melanin.
The initial cry of a newborn is triggered out of shock. The abrupt shock of cold, light, sound, touch and the burst of oxygen that fills her new lungs for the first time. Little does she know the abrupt shock of cold, light, sound, and touch will invade and at times dictate her life as she grows.
The initial cry of a newborn is triggered out of shock. The abrupt shock of cold, light, sound, touch and the burst of oxygen that fills her new lungs for the first time. Little does she know the abrupt shock of cold, light, sound, and touch will invade and at times dictate her life as she grows.
She will experience the sudden:
cold…stares of individuals who berate her because of everything she is naturally and in turn, those same individuals attempt to emulate (artificially) her natural finery.
light…burning with the contempt of your very existence.
sound…piercing your ears, filled with abject adjectives and passive-aggressive “compliments”.
touch…of someone encroaching on your personal space (e.g. body, family, job or friends) without your permission.
The angry Black women is not always angry. They see anger when her awareness is heightened. They see anger when she’s defending her rights. They see anger when she’s protecting her own. They see anger when she speaks with confidence. They see anger when she displays a creativity that is not “mainstream”. She is strong. She endures. She survives. She thrives. She is legendary. She...is me.
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