what is it like to be a black woman in america? BY DEIONA MONROE
CREDITED TO HEYCOFFEEBREAK.COM
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ven with all that we go through, there is absolutely nothing that would shift me into thinking that I would ever want to be anything other than a woman who is black. I say anything because one, I wouldn’t want to be a man and two, I wouldn’t want to be anything but Black. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love men— especially my melanin brothers. However, it doesn’t compare to being a woman I mean…look at us! Being Black is unmatched. No matter how much we’ve been ridiculed and burdened, Black people are impenetrable. As a race, we’ve been stripped of our livelihood on so many occasions, but regardless we still rise. Now, take the woman, add the black. And Boom, fabulous creation. With being so uniquely awesome, you’d think there would be no issues that come with being a black woman. We see so much appropriation of our style, culture, even down to our physical features, that you’d think we’d be admired so much more—unfortunately, we’re not. Though loved, we are hated at the same time. This brings me to point one. BEING A BLACK WOMAN MEANS IMITATED, BUT NEVER APPRECIATED.
BEING
In America, for whatever reason, the originator never receives as much acknowledgment as the copier. Throughout history, we see endless images, articles, newspaper spreads, ads, campaigns…so many things that ridiculed our appearance. Now, the most desired bodily features and attitudes are the ones of the ridiculed black woman. Plump hips, onion booty and the full lips are the soughtafter images…but only after it was gentrified. We see so many women of non-color who are idolized for buying these features; but the natural
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owners…we get no respect. Of course, I love all my females and am happy that I don’t need to purchase anything but DAMN, is it really that hard to give us credit when credit is due? Did people forget where these images came from? And don’t get me wrong, there are those who show nothing but praise and admiration for the original creations, but, then there are those who are more satisfied with appropriation. Though I am often imitated—as Jay-z once told us of himself—it is impossible for the black woman to be duplicated. Indeed, some may have successfully accomplished looking like a black woman, but, they will never authentically be a black woman. Yeah, yeah, y’all may be able to look like us, but you’ll never be real. People can make themselves into a false copy and be adored for it, but in the end, it is just so flattering. BEING A BLACK WOMAN MEANS I’LL ALWAYS WORK 2X AS HARD. I’m far from lazy, but honestly, it really gets me tight to know that I have to go above and beyond and then some—for even the simplest things— simply because of my sexual orientation and the amount of melanin in my pigmentation. History has clearly illustrated how African-Americans and women had little to no rights or say into how the criminal justice system was organized or how the laws were established and enforced. Being a black woman, it’s like having rights and dignity stripped away twice as much. The good thing about this: the black woman has always proven to be strong. No matter how much turmoil we’ve faced, we always overpower and get the job done; I know you’ve seen the memes. Time and time again, the black woman has been
THE SQUEEZE
