Many of my black sistas understand the term "strong black woman" and what comes with it. Some of us have endured so much from a young age that has made us tough and sometimes guarded. We have been drugged through the mud by other races and even by the men who share the same skin complexion as us. The way we style our hair many either don't approve or just stare with confusion. The unique beautiful features we were given that others have made fun of. From our different shades of melanin. To our beautiful luscious lips that come in all sizes. To constantly hearing the stereotypes of being the "Loud Angry Black Woman". I could go on for hours but I wanted this to be the introduction of what many of us black women go through that has made us into the.....
In the words of Malcolm X,
"The most disrespected person in America is the black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the black woman. The most neglected person in America is the Black woman." -Malcolm X
Many black women are called weak when we bring up the term mental disorder. Even if we speak out about our struggles we are called lazy. They assume that no matter what we go through from poverty, racism, sexism, or abuse we can handle it. Yes, black women can handle a lot but it's not okay to have that much burden put on us. The stress that comes with that is affecting our health. Studies have shown that black women are more likely to die at a younger age. Even during hospital visits, black women's symptoms are not taken as seriously. With everything, we have endured and currently are going through we always find a way to turn a lemon into lemonade. Just because we are strong that doesn't mean its okay for us to have that burden placed on us.
The term strong black woman was created within our community. We are expected to accept less, deal with hardships, and settle for men who have no potential. At such a young age many black girls were handling the responsibilities of an adult woman. When we should have been focusing on our academics, making friends, and enjoying life. Not watching a house full of siblings, cooking, and cleaning the house every day from top to bottom. The cycle started with our mothers who experience the same thing. So many black women are single mothers. With being a single parent the role of father and mother is then put in place. You may be thinking, "whose fault is that'? The system was never set up for blacks to succeed, but blacks had to figure out loopholes to get pass it. The care that many black women need isn't available. So many black communities don't have domestic abuse shelters or affordable therapist. The churches were always considered the place to go seek guidance if you felt it was a safe space.
The best way to get through this is to not take on the weight of the world. We all battle through struggles and if no one else will be there for us we can be there for one another. Black women deserve equality and the same justice that other women of races get. We truly deserve so much more respect. When our kids go missing, we deserve the same national news to report it. We deserve to have accurate diagnoses during our doctor visits. We deserve to have the police protect us when they are called out for domestic disputes. The more we speak out and stop being silent someone will hear us. So many of us stay quiet in fear of being labeled. When it comes to our mental, emotional, and physical health we should never be silent. Most importantly we need our black men who we birthed to be our kings and have our back. To many of us are carrying the weight of the black men and black woman. Support us, love us, fight for us, and most importantly respect us the same way we do. We have improved ladies it isn't all bad. Over the past 5 years, black women have been the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs. Let's turn our dollars into the communities we come from and create the support we need for ourselves. If they don't got us, we got us!