I think black women feel the need to hold up this front that we are invincible because of the climate we live in.
Do not get me wrong, black women are powerful and sophisticated, but enough is enough.
I am tired of being strong every single second of my life. Why can’t someone be strong for us? Yes, I am strong, and yes black women are strong but why is it that no one cares about our feelings?
Not enough people stand up for us. As much as we stand up for the men that we birth, they do not stand up for us.
Black men come from black women, but some continue to degrade us- down to our skin complexion, hair and attitude.
We are told so many things and we are portrayed with many different stereotypes, whether it be negative or positive.
We are told our natural hair is not professional. We are told that we are aggressive. We are told our complexion is too dark.
Our black hair is beautiful and versatile.
We would not want it any different.
Our attitudes are not nasty. People just cannot stand it when we decide to stand up for ourselves. Which we will continue to do.
Our melanin skin is exceptionally beautiful, and we are exotic.
But you know what? We are not your fetishes!
We are not a trend!
It is time for people to stop having their negative opinions about black women.
Everyone wants to be us, but no one wants to deal with the trauma and hardship we endure.
The world never believes black women.
There have been so many stories of black women in labor who experience pain. When they ask for an epidural, they are denied because they are told their pain is not that bad.
“Black babies are still almost 2.5 times more likely to die before reaching their 1st birthday? Did you know that Black mothers are 3 three times as likely to die during childbirth,” statistics on the website Race forward said.
There is so much systemic racism that black women endure.
Black women are not paid equally as white men, white women, or black men.
It is mortifying to realize that we are the most neglected and disrespected in America. It is scary to know that black women are unprotected.
Of course, we must be strong. What do you expect?
I am tired of the lack of representation black women get in the media. I barely see myself portrayed in movies and TV shows.
When I was younger, I always questioned why my skin color was not shown in TV shows and it made me feel discouraged.
I want to change that.
I hope in the future there will continue to be representation of people that look just like me.
I hope in the future my kids will see themselves on screen and know that they are loved.
To whomever black girl is reading this, you are loved, you are beautiful and you deserve the world.
It is okay not to be okay. It is okay not to be strong every moment. It is okay to be you.
Love, this article.