Women’s Issue JOURNEY MAGAZINE • October 2020
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EDITOR IN CHIEF
MANAGING EDITOR
ONLINE EDITOR
COPY DESK EDITORS
Dejania Oliver
Mia Uzzell
Joanne Jean Cirsten Jones
Madeline Smith
MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
FASHION DIRECTOR
Aiyana Ishmael
Nadia Wilson
COMMUNCATIONS DIRECTOR
FASHION ASSISTANTS
Tiara Williams Ly’Kimbria Jackson
Tanasia Reed
PUBLIC RELATIONS ASSOCIATES Zakiah Miller-Mcfadden Lauryn McDaniels Ahriyan Adams
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Dekorey Hobbs Kenton Elliott
ARTISTIC DIRECTORS Kenan K. Mercius Briana Yewell Jaela Davis
ADVISOR
Professor Francine Huff
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Branielle Edmonds, Madeline Smith, Mia Uzzell, Akilah Winters, Zakiah Miller-Mcfadden, Vincent Jones Jr., Nadia Wilson, Shadell Bromell, Cirsten Jones, Sandler Fleurima
MODELS
Kaela Moore, Morgan Dyson, Daria Straughn, Nyla Sams
Copyright 2020 by Florida A&M University. All rights reserved. This issue of Journey magazine was produced by the student organization Journey with essential support from the School of Journalism & Graphic Communication. Journey is funded through the student activity and services fees, as allocated by the Student Senate of Florida A&M University. For more information on Journey or the Magazine Program, contact the Division of Journalism at 850-599-3379, 510 Orr Drive, Room 3078, Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL 32307.
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EDITOR’S LETTER
THE BEGINNING
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hen I was young, I considered myself to be girly. I loved anything pink and a staple piece in my wardrobe was a purple frilly tutu from Justice. I never acknowledged the fact that I looked different from all of my friends and I never understood the weird looks or the mean comments. To me, I looked exactly how a girl should and I had a confidence about me that was otherworldly. But then I grew up, and I realized the world ran completely different than what I had built in my head. I started noticing the looks weren’t full of admiration, they were full of disgust. The kids on the bus weren’t calling me fat and ugly because they liked me, but because they wanted to break me. And they did. For a very long time, I resented myself and my naiveté. Why did I ever think I was beautiful when the society-driven blueprint of what a girl should look like was right in front of me? Skinny was better and fat wasn’t even in the equation. If you didn’t look like how the people on TV looked, you were an outcast, nothing. That’s exactly how I felt every time I looked in the mirror or heard the words of friends and family criticizing me swirling through my head. It was painful. I became scared of anything tight or colorful, and I hid behind shirts that were 2 sizes too big. My 10-yearold self was afraid of her own reflection when the only thing I should’ve feared was the dark.
I kept secret diaries where I wrote about how I wished I was different. I wished I was skinnier, prettier, smarter, stronger. I wanted to trade lives with the girls who had no worries besides what they were wearing to school or which boy liked her. I wished Dejania would die and be replaced with someone more deserving because in my deteriorating mind, being fat meant I was worth nothing. I am not telling this story for pity nor is this a story that ends with me glowing up and getting back at the people who doubted me (although my main bully in middle school slid into my dm’s years later.) I am telling you this because through my college experience, and Journey, I have come to an important realization.
Why the fu** should I care about society’s beauty standards? I am a woman. A beautiful, loving and smart woman who is capable of so much more than what everyone gave me credit for. My appearance does not decide my worth, and neither does any person. Through creating this issue and reading the stories that were so carefully constructed, I was able to see that sometimes the most beautiful creations come from rough beginnings. Women should not be defined by their experience or their looks, but rather by their own identity. Women have been beaten, murdered, mistreated and disrespected, but that still doesn’t make their lives or their being any less. Journey has allowed me to start healing and tell the stories that remind you to be human. Be mindful of your words and actions and remember that anyone can make an impact on the world. Just make sure it’s a meaningful one. I hope through this issue, the thoughts and emotions of women lay bare uncensored on these pages and give everyone an insight into what we go through, and how our souls bloom because of it. This is my beginning, and I hope for someone out there reading this that this is yours too.
Love,
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On the night of March 13, Louisville police officers in plainclothes barged into Breonna Taylor’s apartment and unleashed a barrage of bullets. The 26-year-old paramedic technician was sleeping beside her boyfriend who retaliated fire after presuming the officers, that entered under a warrant with a distinct no-knock provision, were intruders. In the early months, Taylor and her boyfriend were cast as suspects of an ongoing narcotics investigation. Yet, as a fever pitch brewed in a nation contextualized by unchecked brutality, Taylor’s story would soon rise to prominence. From its inception in national headlines, months after her death, Taylor’s story still reeked of the residue left on it from its languish in the shadows. Her namesake was commercialized into a form of social capital while the zeal to solely focus on her justice seemed to die down. Black women across the nation undertook the onus of reclaiming her justice all while parsing how her story could’ve easily been theirs.
The greatest fear in life is that my namesake and my innate truth be gruesomely shadowed at the crux of my death. For my name to become shorthand for a moral reckoning without any impetus for my justice would be the greatest demise for my legacy.
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The route that Breonna Taylor’s unjust death at the hands of our carceral state has taken through our punitive systems, national media and social justice movements is the looming fear that Black women carry every day. With all its complexities, it is a laborious task to precisely pinpoint the most unpalatable part of her story for Black women to stomach or why her story is indelibly etched into our hearts. There is an internal and existential strife with grief that Breonna Taylor has brought me to grapple with. This sort of grief is not one I had ever been faced with before; it was a sort of grief that no extensive cyclical five-step program could help heal. As an 18-year-old, I’ve witnessed the battle between Black death and justice, or lack thereof, from the discomfort of my phone my entire life. I’ve watched the families of Travyon Martin, Sandra Bland and Korryn Gaines publicly mourn in front of the world to dissect but still, this past summer was a pain I’ll never rid.
In her death, I saw how disposable my life as a Black woman is in this world. Anecdotes from her sister, boyfriend, mother and loved ones described a woman that mirrored me. Breonna was a duplicitous soul: the magnetic life of the party yet a gentle spirit. Coming from a family that beholds Black women as the greatest gifts from God, I realized that no amount of love from those in proximity to me could shield me from the hate embedded in our nation.
The reproach that the movement contended was met with claims that Black women were trying to ostracize themselves rather than attain equality. In this, I realized that if Black women fought for me to have an equitable fight for justice, they’d be asked to silence themselves.
Most of all, in this pain and grief, I saw that I cannot even revel in it all because even in my hypothetical world there was a real family with real pain and grief gnawing at them every day. In her death, I saw a teeming struggle within our Breonna Taylor was a real person, outside of the very own community for her name to be said too. murals and eponymous conventions, whose legacy The Say Her Name movement, created to amplify may never be absolved from the injustice affixed to the lives of women lost to violence, was battling for it. That’s the greatest pain of all. Breonna’s story to be heard amongst the outcries for George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery.
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When she takes her deep breaths the Earth follows and the wind, the rain, the moon and the sun aligns Women the power you hold is beyond you Her beautiful belly rise as she bares the fruit of her seed She waters and nurtures the seed and watches a part of her grow Women the power you hold is beyond you When she breaks her back at the foot of a man to only receive the bare minimum Women the power you hold is beyond you When she screams out her pain as she bares her child only for the room to fill with ignorance as she cries out to her death
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Black Women the power you hold is beyond you As she comes together with other women to fight for her body’s rights Women the power you hold is beyond you.
As she screams at the tops of her lungs for equality to the average man Women the power you hold is beyond you As her beauty shines through her eyes in all the stars in the universe Women the power you hold is beyond you As she spreads her love unto all beings created in her image Women the power you hold is beyond you.
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Kevina Dixon, a sophomore music industry student, shares her experience and the signs that drained her from a toxic relationship.
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elationships are meant for love, comfort, hope, laughs and emotional connections. When you hear the word “relationship” most think of commitment — a bond of being connected, dedicated and learning one another. “When I think of relationships, words like commitment, loyalty and honesty pop up because I feel like that makes a relationship whole and secure. If you don’t have that it tends to be a mess,” said Ibri Brooks, a sophomore theatre student at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU). Relationships aren’t perfect but rather gentle learning experiences. They are based on adapting and compromising. If you’re noticing that you're the only one compromising in the relationship, that’s where the first signs of toxicity appear. According to Health Scope: Health & Wellness Magazine, “a toxic relationship is characterized by behaviors of the toxic partner, that are emotionally and not infrequently physically damaging to their partner.” Do people know when they’re portraying toxic actions? Most don’t. In today’s society, toxic and abusive relationships have become normalized.
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It is portrayed to us that you have to go through ups and downs to make a relationship last. Today's music industry normalizes “breaking up to make up.” Surveys have shown consistent distress, negative energy and verbally damaging your partner by targeting insecurities are a few traits of toxic behavior. “At an early age, I learned that not every guy who paints the perfect picture means it. Of course, at first, it wasn’t bad, it was like he worshipped the ground I walked on. He told me I was the most beautiful person in the world and he was falling in love with me,” an abusive relationship survivor, who asked to remain anonymous, said. Typical relationships start like this, but once partners become comfortable and vulnerable things began to change. “He started to show signs of aggression towards me, especially when his friends were around. He always told me how sorry he was, how he didn’t mean it, how the world would be better off without someone like him living and I genuinely felt sorry for him,” the survivor said. Unfortunately, she stayed. Later on, he became more aggressive and started to leave her with bruises. Whenever she tried to leave he would threaten her with potential suicide attempts. Other survivors said they dealt with the same issues.
“He was being so sweet and I didn’t notice any red flags. We started dating and he became nonchalant and rude. I would get mad and he would say, ‘Baby I’m sorry, I’m just playing. I don’t mean nothing I say or do. I just play too much,’” Dixon shares. The couple went on a date to the movies and Dixon shares how her then-boyfriend became aggressive towards her. “He didn’t want me touching him and kept pushing me away. While watching the movie I made a joke and said ‘dang that man could be mine.’ He got super mad and stopped talking to me. Once he decided to talk to me, he grabbed me by my throat and said, ‘Don’t play with me, you know you belong to me.’” This is when Dixon knew she had to get away. She left her hometown and started her college career. Even while she was away, he sent threats to her if she left him. “Every time I stopped talking to him, he would say, ‘Baby please talk to me, I’m sick and my heart hurts.’ I would eventually give in because I knew that he battled cancer before. I knew that I’d feel bad if something happened while I wasn’t speaking to him. The cycle continued,” said Dixon.
Eventually, Dixon realized the manipulative pattern and got away from the relationship. Karen Stringer, a social worker based in Atlanta, Georgia says, “If someone is in a relationship where someone can possibly be a danger, I suggest the individual go to a shelter to get away. Many shelters have different resources, especially if children are involved.”
The National Domestic Violence hotline, which is 1-800-799-7233, runs 24/7 for anyone that needs help or assistance.
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n a society where men have always dominated every n a parameter, society where alwaysand dominated social it ismen bothhave tiresome unjust to be every social parameter, it is both tiresome andhave born a woman in this world. For centuries, women unjustfor to the be born in this world. Forand not yearned rightatowoman live a life of humanity centuries, women have when yearned for societies the right are to live objectification. However, most run a life of humanity and not objectification. by patriarchy, it is through years of demanded change, However, when most societies areclaim run bytheir rights. protest and rebellion that women patriarchy, it is through years of demanded change, protestequality and rebellion that women claim their rights. Gender isn’t just about granting women’s rights but deconstructing the very thing that restricts Gender equality isn’t about granting of gender. men and women: the just social construct women’s rights but deconstructing the very thing that restricts andHealth women:Organization the social construct According to themen World (WHO), of gender. “Gender refers to the socially constructed characteristics
Historically, women have always been forced into “There’s majorroles. inequities in terms of American social subordinate The traditional nuclear relationships. There’s no equity in pay, women get family comprised a working husband and household paid percentone of what men do for the women wife eighty-five with preferably to two kids. Now, same job and ” said Mary Turner,ordained a are given thequalifications, right to choose their societal professor of women studies and theatre at Florida position because they have more rights such as State (FSU)vote and and Florida and beingUniversity able to work, ownAgricultural property. Despite Mechanical University (FAMU). these advancements, there are still profoundly disabling components of this worldwide issue.
Turner passion in forterms women studies from “There’sgrew majorher inequities of social relationships. her role model, her mother. waseightyThere’s no equity in pay, Turner’s women mother get paid an “early feminist without the title, ” exhibiting five percent of what men do for the same her job and strong belief for women She later qualifications, ” said Maryempowerment. Turner, a professor of women this with her when she began her theatre(FSU) ca- and of women and men, such as norms, roles, and took studies and theatre at Florida State University According to the World Health Organization reer. It was around the 1970s when the new gradurelationships of and between groups of women and men. Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU). (WHO), “Gender to the and socially It varies from societyrefers to society can constructed be changed.” ate garnered her first job in community activism. characteristics of women and men, such as norms, Turner grew her passion for women studies from roles, and relationships of and between groups of “When intoher the field of theatre it was very was her roleI went model, mother. Turner’s mother women and men. It varies from society to society much known that it without was a male-dominated indus- her an “early feminist the title,” exhibiting and can be changed.” try, especially Black theatre. The 1970s was the timelater strong belief for women empowerment. She when ‘Forwith Colored was onecareer. took this her Girls’ when was she released. began herIt theatre Historically, women have always been forced into of the first broader instances where we had Black It was around the 1970s when the new graduate subordinate roles. The traditional American nuclear women speaking to larger ” said Turner. garnered her first job entities, in community activism. family comprised a working husband and household wife with preferably one to two kids. The thespian turned experienced “When I went intoactivist the field of theatreher it first was very Now, women are given the right to choose their gender bias in the At the time, much known thatworkplace. it was a male-dominated industry, societal ordained position because they have more Turner sought employment at the New Haven especially Black theatre. The 1970s was the time rights such as being able to work, vote and own Urban League as the director of education. when ‘For Colored Girls’ was released. It was one property. Despite these advancements, there are still of the first broader instances where we had Black profoundly disabling components of this worldwide “The manspeaking that interviewed me said that hesaid could women to larger entities,” Turner. issue. never see a woman doing this job and wouldn’t give me job because I was a activist woman,” said Turner. In her Thethethespian turned experienced 2020, this would be ainfiled of harassment first gender bias thelawsuit workplace. At the time, and the man would probably get fired. Turner sought employment at the New Haven Urban League as the director of education. Kimberly B. Ellerth quit Burlington after fifteen years of employment due to sexual harassment from her supervisor Ted Slowik. Although Ellerth received promotions during this period, the working environment perpetuated her resignation.
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In the 1998 suit of Burlington Industries, Inc. v. Ellerth, it was argued and decided that even The thespian does turned activist experienced her if an employee not suffer any job-related first gender bias the workplace. At the time, consequences from in harassment, the employer Turner sought employment at the is still liable for supervisors who create New Haven Urban Leagueconditions as the for director of education. hostile working those over whom they have authority. However, even “The manlandmark that interviewed me said that he could If s ex is biological and gender is with this litigation, gender equality never see a woman doing this job and wouldn’t social, is apparatus, there a thechoice to just be? in the workplace is scratching the surface. Within the social justice give me the job because I was a woman,”#MeToo said movement This is thehas question century as a new wave of been atofthethe forefront Turner. In 2020,Crenshaw’s this would be a filed women crusaders rises and more conversations on “With Kimberle articulation of lawsuit of theofmodern women’s fight for equality. harassment the up man fired. transgender and intersex are being stirred. feminism, it and opened the would field to probably getUniversities across America are nowidentities being intersectional feminism because there were jolted by their student body to take more Kimberly B. Ellerth quit Burlington after fifteenonWithin the social justice apparatus, the #MeToo multiple battles women were fighting at the action sexual assault. College campus years of employment due to sexual harassment movement has been at the forefront of the modern same time while fighting gender inequality. culture is saturated with sexual assault and from Although Ellerth women’s fightmediums for equality. across America You’reher not supervisor just lookingTed at theSlowik. inequalities female objectification; suchUniversities as the received during this period, the that arecrucifies now being jolted by their student body to take more of men andpromotions women but also the sexuality media, survivors, and rampant working environment perpetuated her resignation. action on sexual assault. College campus culture is aspect,” said Turner. nightlife don’t aid with this pandemic. saturated with sexual assault and female objectification; In the 1998 suit of Burlington Industries, Inc. v. Ellerth, it mediums such as the media, that crucifies survivors, Crenshaw’s examination of feminism and the “Sexual assault has to be penetrated through was argued and decided that evenin if an not and importance of intersectionality theemployee does fraternities andrampant all-malenightlife groups. Idon’t wannaaid seewith this pandemic. suffer any job-related consequences from harassment, the in greek life recognize the harm that movement stems from minority and trans people employer is still liable for supervisors who create hostile assault and has to penetrated women constantly being overlooked. The greek life “Sexual culture causes seebemore people through fraternities working conditions forwhich thoseincited over whom have all-male groups. wanna see people in greek life historic Stonewall riots the theyhold eachand other accountable. SoIthe authority. However, even with this landmark litigation, recognize the harm that greek life culture causes and LGBTQ rights movement serves as a great panhellenic council needs to work to address gender equality in the workplace is scratching people example of minority LGBTQ women, like the surface. this issue,”see saidmore Angela Yang, hold senioreach other accountable. So the relations panhellenic council Marsha P. Johnson, acting as a catalyst for international student at theneeds to work to address “With Kimberle Crenshaw’s articulation of feminism, it this issue,” said Angela Yang, senior international progress in our society and not University of Pennsylvania. opened up the field to intersectional feminism because relations student at the University of Pennsylvania. being recognized. there were multiple battles women were fighting A study done by researcher John Foubert at the issame time and while fighting gender study by researcher John Foubert found that If sex biological gender is social, is inequality. found thatAmen in done fraternities were three You’re just to looking andmore men in to fraternities were three times more likely to there anot choice just be?at the inequalities of men times likely commit rape than those women but also the sexuality aspect,” said Turner. commit rape than those who weren’t. This was the who weren’t. This was the third study that study that indicated pattern. Greek life has This is the question of the century as a new indicated third this pattern. Greek life has athis historCrenshaw’s examination of feminism and the importance a historic reputation for perpetuating rape culture wave of women crusaders rises and more ic reputation for perpetuating rape culture of intersectionality in the movement stems from minority andonpreying women to take advantage of them. conversations on transgender and intersex and preying women on to take advantage and trans are women being overlooked. The identities being constantly stirred. of them. historic Stonewall riots which incited the LGBTQ rights Gender inequality continues to rear its head in all movement serves as a great example of minority LGBTQ spectrumscontinues of life — to whether the workplace, domestic Gender inequality rear itsinhead women, like Marsha P. Johnson, acting as a catalyst living, or college campuses. The in all spectrums of life — whether in the only way to alter this for progress in our society and not being recognized. reality is through workplace, domestic living, oradvocacy, college education and justice. campuses. The only way to alter this reality is through advocacy, education and justice.
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or generations, women have sports but insists that they been faced with gender have not reached the level of equality issues that have acknowledgment they deserve. increased the odds of finding equality in the workforce and holding leadership positions. In the world of sports, women have been vying for the same recognition that is sought after in other fields. In 1972, Title IX was introduced and established that no person in the United States could be “excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.” There has been growth since then, but none significant enough to solidify a definite change. Equality in sports regarding women has without a doubt progressed but there is still work to be done. At Florida A&M University (FAMU), student-athletes and administrators are ready to make a change that is unequivocal and will stand the test of time.
“We are not w h e r e we need to be at but there are definitely s t r i d e s being made,” said Pillow. “When you are dealing with men in women’s sports, they feel like women are better at doing certain things when in fact we are very capable of doing the same thing.”
In terms of leadership, it is imperative that young women and student-athletes learn the importance of being a trailblazer however you can. Student-athletes are Newly hired Women’s Basketball getting an opportunity to see head coach Shalon Pillow is a change happen right before decorated athlete and coach their eyes and that change is who has played under the making it possible for them legendary Pat Summit at the to succeed in their sport. University of Tennessee as well as assisted the Middle Tennessee State University Blue Raiders to five straight postseason appearances during her tenure. Pillow believes that there is improvement across all women’s
“That is a passion of mine and is one of the reasons that FAMU was so beautiful to me,” said Pillow. “It is very important to me that young women are ready to be apart of society once they leave college and not be judged by what they did on the court. To have the entire university back that vision made the opportunity that more appealing to me.” Junior student-athlete Jasmine Bellew is a member of the women’s basketball team and is very excited to be coached by a woman at this stage of her career.
“We work hard but we have to work harder to be seen in the same light as our male counterpar ts. Women’s sports are not taken as serious across all sports but I am optimistic that things will be better.”
“You see a lot of male coaches coaching women’s basketball so it is definitely different for me,” Bellew said. “It makes me happy because little girls everywhere get a chance to see something positive and can look forward to something.” Although women’s sports have faced many hardships, there are Alexys Mann, a junior student- decisions that are being made for athlete and member of the the betterment of the sport and volleyball team, believes that leaders are being put in place women have to continue to work to get them the recognition hard to continue to see change. they are working so hard for. “As women, we push ourselves really hard because we do want people to see us and recognize us,” Mann said.
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by Meché Leflore The medical field is a rewarding profession, however, similar to other professional spaces, racism is still alive and well in healthcare. For Black women who are professionals in this field, it is challenging to navigate through a world that is not accepting of their skin color and gender. From prejudice on the professional and patient level, Black women in healthcare are vigorously breaking down barriers of systemic racism that have prevailed for far too long. In 2017, according to DataUSA, Black physicians and surgeons made up only 6% of the doctor population in the United States.
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According to the Association of American Medical Colleges’ (AAMC) study in 2015, Black medical school applicants had the lowest acceptance rate of all other races and ethnicities with 34% and only 5.7% of medical graduates are Black. The same study also found that only 4% of full-time faculty are minority females. Dr. Sheila Bouldin is a medical doctor and professor of obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN) at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. As a Black female doctor, she says her encounters with racism are frustrating. “I just wish people didn’t see color,” Bouldin said. “When we voice our frustration, we are seen as the angry Black woman. It’s frustrating.”
During her 20 years of experience, Bouldin has achieved many accomplishments including receiving her doctorate in health administration this year. Despite these accolades, she still experiences various microaggressions from her patients and partners. Yet, Bouldin isn’t entirely discouraged and instead feels gratified by her service. “I’m frustrated about it, but I’m rewarded by the patients I see,” Bouldin said. “I try to understand them and make sure their needs are getting met because the other doctors don’t.” For many Black women, going to the doctor can be a burden. They often feel unheard, misdiagnosed and ignored.
They are not treated with urgency and are often cast aside as if nothing is wrong with them. The U.S. healthcare system is built upon racial, gender and class biases that lead to healthcare inequities that affect Black women at a very alarming rate. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Black women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women and they have the highest maternal mortality rate among women of all races in the United States.
“Doctors don’t listen to Black women especially if they are poor or uneducated”
Kia Bolden, a recent graduate in health science, said. “They’re thinking ‘Oh I know what’s best for you because I’m a doctor’ and that’s not true.” Bolden, who has six years of experience in medical care, has not been exempt from unfair treatment from health professionals.
“I thought I was going to die. I probably will never have a kid again cause the experience was so horrible.”
In 2019, Bolden was diagnosed with preeclampsia during her second pregnancy. Her OB-GYN, a white man, did not take her health concerns seriously and Bolden believes that he felt that all Black people had high blood pressure. If it wasn’t for a fellow Black OB-GYN, who was Bolden’s doctor for her first pregnancy, Bolden would have experienced further complications.
“You have to have people that are open to hiring others of different races and cultures,” Rhondrea Copeland, a healthcare executive, said. “You need people of the community working within the health systems.”
“It was really scary,” Kia Bolden said about her birthing experience.
The beginnings of a solution to this problem for Black women start within the system. With more women entering the medical field every year, progression is on the horizon.
Copeland, who has a master’s in public health and health administration, works in the New Jersey and Greater New York City area where she is an administrator for a small healthcare system. She believes that Black women are the key to making the healthcare system better.
“I think African American women are one of the most educated groups in the country,” Copeland said. “It makes me want to work harder, not only for myself but for the community. Someone has to speak up for people who can’t speak up for themselves.” Being a voice for the voiceless is just one of the jobs that Black women in the healthcare system feel as though they owe to themselves and the community they serve.
“Personally, I want to be in the room to implement policies that will help Black women in different ways that will benefit us in the long run,” Bolden said. With help from each other, Black women can come together to change the trajectory of their situations, advance the health and wellness of Black women and ensure equal access to quality healthcare.
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Walker describes it as a journey to discovering one’s self. In the past, if a woman masturbated it was believed they were suffering from an illness that needed treatment. Although this kind of ideology is not around anymore, there is still an uncomfortable silence whenever women mention masturbation. Kaia Bonner, a student at Florida A&M University, thinks that it is unfair that some women believe they should not experience the pleasure that comes from their own hands.
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he first time feels like an awakening. Your senses feel heightened and the air is electrified. You feel as your body reacts in a way you have never felt before. You take deep breaths and feel your body slowly come down from its high. This feeling is called an orgasm, and for human beings, the feeling is natural. Sex has been a crucial topic in society for hundreds of years. Since the early 1600s, women’s bodies were policed by the Protestant church and they were told by men that they should exhibit passionlessness unless they were having sex with them. This idea that women should only feel pleasure if it benefits men is still something that seems to be prevalent today. Cheryl Walker, a sex therapist located in Atlanta, Ga., believes that although there has been progress in the way society views women sexually, there is still a lot to do to change the narrative. “This is why I got into this field,” Walker said. “It bothers me how much of our (women) identities are tied into the norms of our culture and our society, right or wrong.” Besides sex, there is one sexual act that society deemed even more inappropriate for women: masturbation. Masturbation is the act of touching and caressing yourself to produce sexual stimulation.
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‘‘It’s basically the patriarchy ‘You can’t get turned on by anything sexual or be promiscuous, but when I want to have sex be ready,’’’ Bonner said. The taboo nature surrounding women masturbating is not just because of the words of men. Many women were never taught about masturbation, sothey do not understand what it really is. Some women are also told from people with authority over them, parents or others, that touching yourself is wrong and once you discourage the idea girls grow up to be women who still feel that bringing yourself to orgasm is shameful or wrong.
You see examples of this ideology every day, especially amongst younger people. Girls are told to cover their shoulders in school while boys can wear what they want, and girls should not have a high number of partners, but boys can have sex with however many they want. Due to this, many women are uncomfortable when confronted with their own desires because they are not sure how to respond to them.
“It is not even about orgasms. It’s all about exploration.”
Jazmun Thomas, a senior at FAMU, thinks masturbation is key in discovering yourself.
The feeling of touch has significance in every part of the world. Being social creatures comes with many forms of intimacy and physical contact. Masturbation is one form of this that aids in your view of yourself and how you feel about your body, your temple. Making love to your body as a woman brings many things, but the most important thing it breeds is love for yourself.
“In order to be able to help your partner pleasure you, you have to know how to pleasure yourself,” Thomas said. “That knowledge comes from masturbating.” Not only does masturbation help you discover what you like, but it has other great benefits. Walker lists it as stress relief, fun, getting to know your body, relieving menstrual cramps, and helps your sleep. So masturbation is not only fun and exciting; it can improve your quality of life as well. Medically, it can also protect from cervical infections due to the contractions and the lubrication that happens during masturbation. The art of masturbation is more than just touching yourself and it has really positive side effects.
“Masturbation is about owning your body and what you do and don’t like,” Walker said.
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he word lesbian originates from an island in Greece called “The Isle of Lesbos.” Sappho, an intellectually stimulated woman and poet, created the word in 600 B.C. where she wrote about the purity of love between two women. Same-sex relationships have become one of America’s most recurring challenges, a battle between America’s people and its government. In 1924, Henry Gerber, a Chicago native, created The Society For Human Rights which is the first documented gay rights organization. Subsequently, Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was founded and was particularly geared toward the beginning letter of the 1988 coined acronym LGBT. Nyah Williams, a Florida A&M University (FAMU) alumna and former FAMU Spectrum vice president, discusses a controversial subject matter in response to individuals deeming lesbianism as experimental rather than a reality.
“Lesbian love is magical. Women are already magical themselves, but when two fall in love it’s otherworldly,” Williams said.
“Sexuality is fluid and you’ll never be sure of what you want if you don’t try. However, I’m not saying this to say that it is okay to question or disrespect anyone who is confident in what they identify as.” Williams also expresses views that highlight FAMU Spectrum’s mission as a pride union that advocates for individuals of the LGBTQ+ community and describes the union as a safe space for those who haven’t quite grasped clarity in their sexuality. “We give those who are curious or uncomfortable within themselves space and knowledge to grow comfortably and be sure of what they identify as,” Williams said. “There is no room for harmful ignorance in our safe space, only love and acceptance.” The American way of life was built on the ideology of experimental trial and error, yet lesbianism has been warped into a trend that minimizes the validity of its existence. Kalisha Baptiste, the clinical director and founder of Capital City Counseling Services, provides her first-hand account of problems in the LGBTQ community. “Over the course of my career I have helped children, adolescents and adults from diverse backgrounds with wide-ranging concerns including having provided counseling services to the LBGTQ community for over fifteen years and I am honored to serve as a therapist, advocate and ally to the LBGTQ community in Leon 30
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It is essential to advocate for minorities who cannot fully express the love they have for their desired partners publicly due to the traditional standards America forces their citizens to conform to. Baptiste says in her practice she focuses on validating the existence of her clients’ sexuality rather than objectifying her clients. “In my practice, I use affirmation therapy, mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy to assist LGBTQ \individuals grappling with the effects of systemic discrimination in our society,” Baptiste said. The concept of love between two individuals is not to be supervised by a society that exemplifies flaws within their own system. Societal normalities were never found to be followed accordingly and the beauty in lesbianism \ continues to break those barriers. Matty Trotter, an Atlanta student, speaks on the matters of individuality within an already belittled community.
“The world has always treated us as less than for something as simple as sexuality,” Trotter said. “Judge people based on their character, not based on their sexuality.” Women can and should be allowed to love women. This statement in itself will continue to rattle discernment in the hearts of the opposed and oppressed. JOURNEY MAGAZINE • October 2020
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