THE ISSUE

Over 400 years of damage and trauma have developed in the black woman a double-edged sword of resilience and strength. One that has helped us stay alive in the worst of times but has also stopped us from truly living. To be human means to be vulnerable, layered, and imperfect. Yet, Black women and girls are not told these truths. We are told we must share the qualities of a superhuman or machine to be excellent and to be seen, but all this pressure and weight is not healthy for anyone and is too great a burden to bear. Black women and girls are overwhelmed and underserved. Whether it means helping to fight on the frontlines of injustice movements, leading their households, fighting for themselves in the workplace, fighting for themselves in healthcare, fighting for themselves in school and higher education, they are constantly fighting against so many other triggers, mostly alone. 

We are taught to neglect ourselves through the tropes and stereotypes perpetuated in the home, the Black community, and the outside world. “The Angry Black woman” trope teaches us to dismiss our fears, desires, and dreams and to make ourselves smaller. “The Strong Black Woman” trope dehumanizes us and teaches us how to suppress our needs so much that we only become a life source for other people rather than ourselves. “The Independent Black woman” trope teaches us not to ask for help and to depend on no one but ourselves even when help is available. And even when we want to release our burdens and heal, we are believed less when we are hurting in health care because of these expectations. Furthermore, these image issues and unhealthy coping mechanisms are starting at a young age. Black girls are being hypersexualized and forced to grow up too early because of society, and they don't feel secure or protected. This reality is creating internalizing disorders that are ultimately left untreated for years and sometimes result in dangerous coping behaviors.  Not only are Black girls not protected mentally, but they are not protected physically either, and what is worse is that they are suffering in silence because of expectations, stigmas, and injustice.The National Women’s Justice Institute highlights that “Black girls report higher rates of sexual harassment, both in school and out of school than any other group,” putting them at a greater “risk of self-harm, suicidal thoughts, feeling unsafe at school, and more.”

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It is an injustice that Black women and girls often have to work harder to be heard and to get the treatment, visibility, and protection they need and deserve. As a community and as Black women, we need to frame our minds around the fact that there is strength, beauty, and excellence in protecting and taking care of ourselves on the inside and out.