Dear Diary,
Sometimes I feel as if I am too much.
Too self-motivated, too self-dependant, and definitely too strong of a woman. But is that my fault?
Society has already decided that a strong black woman is too much to deal with, and so since we are too much, we get put into this box where we are judged.
Constantly.
Judged for not wanting to sit back and let a man take care of us…judged for wanting more out of relationships and friendships, for wanting higher wages in the workplace and judged for not sitting back and continuously letting that man walk all over us with the multiple females he be smashing.
And because we are constantly being judged, we sometimes see ourselves conforming to these bullshit notions that people like to dish out because they are insecure about themselves. As a black woman, I don’t sit around waiting for a man to take care of me, because as a child growing up my grandma made sure to teach me how to do that. As a black woman, I’m not going to be quiet when society tells me to speak less aggressively.
Why?
So you can belittle me with the many words you steal from Webster’s dictionary? I think not. As a black woman, I will continue to leave my mark on this world. I will continue to persevere in all my endeavours. I will continue to make myself proud and there is nothing that you, you, or even you will do to stop me.
So to all my black women and non black women reading this, it’s time we stop conforming. It’s time we stand up and make our presence be known because we are here, and despite how society tries to steal from us (then have the audacity to look down upon us) we will rise!
Just like how Maya Angelou said, “still I rise”, I will rise…rise above everything that is thrown my way, so I welcome all the obstacles in life.
Are you going to brush off all of society’s labels and rise? Or are you going to let your time pass you by, then 10 years from now say “I wish I had the guts to do that”, when you see the younger generation doing what you wanted to do. I know that won’t be me, so label me as you may, and call me “too much” but I’d rather be the woman with “too much” than the girl with “too little”.
-Racquel
Racquel is a guest contributor.
Shea Butter Diaries 