“If everyone is a product of this society, who will say the things that need to be said, and do the things that need to be done, without compromise? Truth will never start out popular in a world more concerned with marketability than righteousness. It will initially suffer ridicule and even violence- yet ultimately it is undeniable. All of humanity is living in a dream world, but suffering real consequences.” ― Lauryn Hill
When you think of the Black woman by societal views, what comes to mind? Bitter, angry, loud, rude, unworthy and a number of other labels. As a Black woman being categorized as anything less than the truth of what we are not only does it feels and is disrespectful, but, it is also the perfect opportunity to reverse the myths. One of many things I’ve learned about the media is that it can either shape your way of thinking or entice you to wake up and break free from the lies that it possesses. Black women are the most disrespected race of women/people in America as well as the world simply because we are the answer.
Let’s talk about Black women in today’s society. There are a number of us waking up and deciding to break the curses spoken on and passed onto us. We are opening our own businesses, more Black women are engaged or married to a Black man; we are loving ourselves and each other more and we are breaking the toxic lie of believing that if we are single that means we are unworthy. Black women today are remembering who they (we) are before the days of slavery without necessarily ignoring the jewels of what slavery taught us as it too helped us to find ourselves. Black women are taking their place back on the thrones our ancestors were thrown from and bringing our community along with us.
The Myths
When we look at big named media outlets who are they ran by? Europeans. Knowing this, are we actually surprised at why it faithfully demeans the Black Queen? We often see Black women presenting themselves as sexual objects on music videos. Movies and “reality tv” shows us as ebonic, loud, ghetto/ratchet, promiscuous and disease filled with numerous kids by different men and paints a picture of us being lazy and living off of government assistance. The sting to the cut is that some Black men also choose to cheer/add on to the hurt by labeling us the same due to their self-hate.
The Toxic Curse
Our jobs treat us differently than our counterparts because to them, we are not as professional. The ignorance of light skin vs. dark skin reigns in our community as a way to divide us. This is no different from slave days when it was the house vs. field negro. We are seen as the issue without the world being honest with itself of what it has done and continues to do to us. Today in my opinion, modern day slavery is the mentality of many. Until the oppressors can be honest with themselves the myths will continue no matter how much we fight to break them.
When It All Changed
Slavery was the turning point of the appreciation/truth of the Black woman. I cannot imagine the daily turmoil our ancestors faced as they were constantly beaten, raped and lynched. I cannot imagine their children also going through the same and often times their children getting taken from them. I cannot imagine them coming from a place of knowing who they are, being put on a pedestal and loved as well as appreciated by their men to now their very identity taken from them and hid in 'America's History'. The White man and White woman knew that if they could get into the minds of our ancestors then they could change the truth…that Black women are a powerful force so they chose to make them powerless.
The Answer
Besides God, who has ever saved us but ourselves? No one. We have to get to the point in which we no longer care to prove ourselves especially to a people that refuses to listen nor to our many of our men who are just as damaged. We, as Black women, must learn to continue to lift each other up and be the example even if the media and the world still chooses to falsely label us. Black women are the womb in which mankind was conceived and so we must be the very ones to birth the change.
While doing so, we must detox. Remove the labels that we allowed to become our identity. Increase our self-esteem and love on ourselves more as well as feel complete even if we are without a spouse. Do not date a man who disrespects the Black woman as he will be nothing but toxic to your health in all aspects and if you have children be the example you want them to be. We’ll always be misunderstood to anyone who refuses to understand, this is why opinions could never overpower facts.
Make sure your facts are of good because reversing the miseducation of black women starts with you, with us.
Contributor, Her Image