How Black Women are Unstoppable & Able to Lead in a Global Pandemic
With Corona running rampant as the unwelcome guest that she is, pretty much everything has either been postponed, canceled, or altered in some form or fashion. However, in the same spirit as the BET Music Awards that took place last week, proclaiming that our "Culture Can't be Cancelled", this year's Essence Fest declared we are "Unstoppable".
black excellence.
Essence brought it all to us virtually over 2 weekends, June 25-28, and July 2-5. And with the festivities all wrapped up yesterday, we've been filled with "Get Lifted" (gospel) segments, concert series, “Essence Power” conversations, Club Quarantine, and so much more. One thing's for sure; we truly are unstoppable! Essence celebrating 50 years of Black excellence this year is definitely fitting, a golden jubilee that Corona can't deny as much as she tried.
(Totally unrelated sidebar that just came to my mind. I saw a post that said Corona has to be a man, and then a man commented "no we don't stick around this long". I found that funny and thought I’d share. That's not my belief, by the way, I believe and know men that are in it for life. Ok, I'm done digressing, lol).
Back to Black excellence… Michelle Obama had this to share:
.@MichelleObama has a message for #EssenceFest:
— When We All Vote (@WhenWeAllVote) July 5, 2020
Black women have always led the fight for progress. When Black women lead, people follow.
Visit https://t.co/RgvZficukU to lead your community to the ballot box 🗳 pic.twitter.com/1a4KDqpZY7
black resilience.
And herein lies the point I want to touch on today, how Black women are unstoppable and able to lead in a global pandemic. This was the topic of discussion at the 2018 summit “Flip the Script: Understanding African American Women’s Resilience in the Face of Allostatic Load” held at the Martha S. Pitzer Center for Women, Children, and Youth at The Ohio State University.
If you're like me, I had to look up what "allostatic" meant, and it's the process by which the body responds to stressors in order to regain stability.
[Also Related: 3 Best Ways to Honor Black Women This Women’s Day]
black health.
That Black women's health is statistically worse than our counterpart's is largely due to how the poet Mona Lake Jones, describes us:
“…Jugglers of profession, managers of lives; Mothers of children, lovers and wives; Good-hearted, reaching out to others; Giving back to the community and supporting their brothers; All these sisters struggled through the path they had come….”
So the answer to "How?" is the unfortunate reality that it's in exchange for our physical and mental health. Black women have double the rates of obesity, diabetes, and hypertension compared to White women (source).
This New York Times article goes on to explain that "Many [...] wear the badge of Strong Black Woman with honor. We are proud of our tenaciousness and never let the world see us crack." I've shared with people in my life that I will GLADLY take off the Superwoman cape that came with being a single mom of four, while simultaneously feeling that I have no option but to wear it. And that is, like the NYT article also expresses, “Black women, having been conditioned to believe that we must be strong to survive.” Thankfully this narrative is changing and conversations held at Essence Fest as part of the "Wellness House” sought to bring this to the forefront.
black women matter.
This recently trending hashtag (#blackwomenmatter) also brought to light the many struggles we face, our fragility, and the need to protect us at all costs. Yes, we're amazing, but it's also ok to be vulnerable. You have to take care of yourself in order to effectively take care of those around you. The airplane rule of putting on your own oxygen mask first is all about self-care and has nothing to do with selfishness.
2020 has been challenging to say the least, and as the second half of the year takes off, my challenge to you is to make yourself a priority. Prioritize your mental health, your physical health, your spiritual health, your goals, your dreams, your JOY. As the Michelle Obama quote above says "When Black women lead, people follow". Your children will notice, your family, your community, and anyone close to you. And they will not only respect it, but follow suit.
Click image to watch this discussion over on Essence.com
conclusion.
That black women rock is no question. We're fierce and fabulous. However, in order to continue to be just that, we need to stay alive. We're already dying at the hands of oppressors. Let's not contribute to our own demise.
How are you going to prioritize yourself this week? Comment below. (For ideas, click the image above to watch Essence’s Girls United Wellness discussion).
Grace & Peace,
Vi