#helpBlackWomenheal

Black women are tired! And exhaustion feels different based on our experiences, but Black women's common thread is dehumanization from our white counterparts, members of our community (female & male). And the ways we practice internalized dehumanization or self-hatred or unworthiness.

The strong black woman persona is a traumatizing experience, and for generations, Black women have adopted this persona to survive. My need to live instead of surviving started when I prayed, "God, I want to be the real me. I want to be free."

At that time, I didn't have the language to understand (nor was I theologically sound to know how the Black church influences the burden of strength among Black women), that my survival as a misunderstood Black woman was emotional suppression. And excessive pessimistic thinking that encouraged independence: "I don't need anyone, I can make it on my own," which is the norm that many Black women are familiar with.

In Black Women Mental's Health, Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes states, "as the hegemonic Black femininity, the StrongBlackWoman is the ideal by which 'good' Black womanhood is adjudicated. Society necessitates, demands even that Black women conform to this model of womanhood even when it does not reflect their authentic personality and when it poses threats to their physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being."

The strong black woman is a dangerous and traumatic persona to survive and live in. Like every human being, Black women deserve to be free, to encounter liberty, to enjoy the pleasure of their authenticity. Many Black women want to be free from the SBW persona but are unaware because the SBW persona is posited normative. Margaret L. Conley (licensed faith-based trauma therapist) and I seek to provide Black women a way of escape (as much as possible) by assisting Black women in learning how to embrace vulnerability, create balance, and prioritize self-hood!

Please donate to this campaign to provide scholarships to Black women interested in decolonizing from the SBW persona and, therefore, heal! Not only themselves but their ancestral lineage.

Asé